Retail Therapy
by KyosBeads13
Summary: Kagome is working at a quickly failing family convenience store which is barely holding on each day. The town is being taken over by a conglomerate corperation that is headed by one of the most powerful men in the country. What she doesn't know is that this person happens to be the brother of the strange InuYasha, the man who Kagome can't seem to get out of her head. InuKag AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello everyone! I'm back after a few years of hiatus due to classes and work and all that jazz. I've recently been watching Inu-Yasha quite a bit and falling back in love with the characters. This plot has been in the back of my mind for years and I think I'm finally ready to write it! Being from a retail background, I'll stick to what I know and I hope you all enjoy. Anonymous and signed reviews are all welcomed and I hope you'll have as much fun reading as I will writing. This is rated high (M) because I do enjoy using colorful language between characters and just in case I decide to have a little saucy scene later on. Enjoy!

**Disclaimers:** I do not own any of the wonderful characters in this fanfiction. Inu-Yasha and co. all belong to the wonderful and talented Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, a woman with my utmost respect.

A Friend in Words,  
-KB (Kyosbeads13)

* * *

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter one.

The sun was streaming through the sparkling clean windows at the store front that Kagome gazed out lovingly. Downtown could be so beautiful in late spring; the trees that were planted in the grassy blocks of the sidewalk swayed gently in the warm breeze that blew just outside those windows. Brightly colored flowers circled the thin bases of those trees and every so often, a young child would bend and point to a particular one they found more beautiful than the others. One young man even bent down and picked a beautiful purple flower and handed it to the blushing girl he was with. Sighing, Kagome turned back to look at the small convenience store that she had already scrubbed from top to bottom. Business was quite slow now-a-days what with all the competition that had been moving into the same district. She was watching her boss struggle with her finances every day, it was heart breaking. It was costing the elderly woman more money to keep the lights on and the electricity running than they were making. It was definitely an upsetting situation.

"Kagome, if you'd like you can go on your lunch break." A voice said from the back room that served as an office.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own here for a bit, Kaede?" Kagome asked while lifting her apron up and over her head.

"Of course, unfortunately it doesn't seem like we will be getting any customers anytime soon." The older of the two said moving to the coffee pots to replace the stale and most likely burnt liquid. Kagome felt her heavy heart droop even lower. Kaede was a special family friend that she had known for most of her life. She was told that Kaede was the best friend of her grandmother on her father's side. Since Kagome's father had passed away when she was a young girl, Kaede always had just the story to make her heart stop aching with the missing she had for her father. Seeing the old woman to the point of defeat hurt her more than anything.

"Well, fingers crossed we'll have a few while I'm gone. I'll be back soon!" Opening the door, Kagome offered a quaint smile to the one behind her before stepping out into the warm air. Pulling the hair tie out of her flowing black hair, the breeze that ruffled her pink blouse wrapped its fingers through her loosened locks. She could smell the food vendors' carts making her all the hungrier as she walked the familiar way to her favorite café a little ways from her store. She turned the corner and walked into the small and dark colored café, pulling the glass door open and walking up to the counter. A girl with a high pony tail much longer than her own had been turned around and offered a bright smile.

"Kagome, I wondered if you were working today!" She put the coffee cup down that she had been cleaning and leaned over the counter. "So how's the situation down at the shop going?"

"Not good, Sango," Kagome sighed for the second time in a short amount time. "I'm really afraid that Kaede's going to have to close the store soon."

"Well, like I said, I can always get you a job here." Sango winked at her before pulling out bread for Kagome's usual lunch time meal.

"I couldn't do that, Kaede's heart would be broken if I left. Not to mention Mama wouldn't be too happy with me." Kagome took a seat at one of the bar stools on the other side of the counter.

"I'm sure I could get her one too." This earned a little smile from Kagome while she stuck her hand in her pocket and took out her cell phone. She scrolled through for a few moments looking at an email from her mother while her friend fixed her sandwich and coffee, absentmindedly swaying her head to the beat of the soft music that played over head. The sound of a plate clinking to the counter top made her put the phone down as Sango slid the plate to her and walked back over to the coffee machine. Kagome instantly dug in, her stomach growling and urging her to do so. Her coffee was soon after in front of her and Sango joined her on the other side of the counter as well.

"How are you and Miroku doing?" Kagome inquired in between bites of her food.

"Fine, moving in together loses its appeal after the first few nights. I'm just trying to keep him away from the windows, he's still looking after all those girls that pass through the streets." Sango's eyes narrowed as she flicked a stray crumb to the floor with a long finger nail. "He's too much sometimes."

"As long as he never runs outside after them."

"He wouldn't be able to so much as unlock the door before I'd be on him." Sango smiled when she said this before her attention had been dragged to a customer who walked in the door.

Kagome was an enthusiast for hearing about peoples' love lives and especially that of her closest friend. She could still recount the first time she heard Sango speak about Miroku when they were still teenagers in high school. Now almost four years later, they had recently moved in together. She was more than excited for her friend but became slightly less excited when Sango had said jokingly "when's it going to be my turn to be excited for you, Kagome?" That question was a heavy one in Kagome's mind and unfortunately was one she received more often than not.

Kagome had finished her lunch as Sango walked back over to her after the customer had taken a seat with his food.

"Woah, where did you put all that so quickly?"

"I was running late this morning and couldn't get breakfast before work. Sango, do me a favor? Make another sandwich for Kaede? I'm sure she could use a pick me up."

"Sure!" Sango moved back to the station she had been at before and began pulling out meats and cheeses that she knew Kaede enjoyed. As she put the tape over the wrappings, Kagome reached into her pocket and retracted it with money in her hand. Sango shook her head as she pushed both the sandwich and money back towards her friend. "The big boss isn't in today. My treat. Tell Kaede I'll stop by after work to pick up a few things for home, okay?"

"Thanks Sango." Kagome's smile returned as she placed her money and cell phone back in her pockets and began walking for the door. "I'll talk to you later then!" She waved as a couple and another business man entered the café and Sango geared herself to get back to work.

Returning to the busy street, Kagome clutched the food in her hand and carefully swept through the crowds that were all busy looking for a place to eat. Looking into a few restaurants, she silently congratulated herself on going earlier than the rest of the city on the lunch rush. However, lunch time was actually decently busy at the shop and she picked up her pace to get back. Not watching where she was going, she bumped shoulders with someone who was turning the corner in the direction she was. Immediately turning towards him, she bowed slightly.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going, oh!" Looking in the eyes of the person she was apologizing to, suddenly realization had hit her. She had bumped into one of the regular customers at Kaede's shop! "I'm sorry, how're you?" She continued in her hurried pace of speech.

"Fine." He replied curtly. Kagome was always surprised by this particular man's presence. It was different. _He _was different. It was quite obvious that he was not like everyone else, his appearance made that quite obvious. His eyes glowed a bright goldenrod while his hair was as silver as the lining of a cloud. Two ears sat perched at the very top of that hair, listening to the sounds around them. It was not all that uncommon to come in contact with the demons; after all, the demons and humans lived side by side relatively peacefully in this part of the country. It was rare, however, to see one out during the day during the normal human hustle and bustle of the work day. Most preferred the night so they could keep to themselves and not be bothered with normal human daily functions.

"Well, I really better get going. It was nice to see you, maybe I'll see you back at the shop later today. I'll be on until the evening." She smiled once again before hurrying back on her way to the shop. Thinking nothing more of her rather embarrassing encounter, Kagome walked back into the shop and saw at least five people walking around, two of them had baskets in hand. She walked over to the counter and climbed behind, relieving Kaede of the register and holding the small package in her hand out to her.

"You're too sweet, child. Thank you."

"Of course! Go enjoy, I'll take care of everyone here."

"Make sure you charm them well." Kaede passed to her lightly as Kagome lifted her hair up and over the neck strap on her apron.

"You got it!" Putting on her best smile and kindest airs, Kagome began waiting on customers, scanning their drinks and ringing up snacks. She asked every customer if there was anything else she could do for them, a few asked questions which led to more sales and Kagome silently patting herself on the back. After a few hours though, the shop returned to its normal silence as the sun began to sink behind the buildings across the street.

"Thanks for all your help today, Kagome. We had a much better day than any other day this week." Kaede carried a certain heaviness in her voice.

"Anytime. Every time Sango's been working, she's been handing out business cards along with any coffee people buy. Hopefully that will attract a few more people in. We'll get this place up and busy again in no time."

"I'd like to believe that's true. But I'm sure you've had enough of being here for tonight, go on and get home."

"I will as soon as I get Mama the few things she needed!" Folding the apron and placing it under the counter, Kagome walked to the coolers and picked out some eggs and bread. She faintly heard the bustle of the city grow louder for a second, the door opening and closing. Not thinking much of it, she leaned over to another cooler to grab a bottle of water and felt the weight of the cooler door diminish off her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the same man that she had bumped into in the street hours before. Before she could stare too long, she stood up with the bottle in hand and smiled. "Thank you. I didn't think you'd actually visit!"

"I'm not really visiting, I'm just on my way back home." He reached past her and down to grab a drink for himself. In that moment, Kagome felt the slightest bit silly. She knew that he hadn't come to visit her and she was also quite familiar with the fact that he seemed to always come into the store around this time. Clearing her throat, she moved up towards the counter where Kaede now stood, looking out the window.

"Well, I guess I'll see you the same time tomorrow. Have a good night." She received no answer and placed her items on the counter. Kaede was still focused out the window and Kagome looked at her with her head cocked to one side. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking about something silly. It happens when you get older." As Kaede placed the items in a bag, Kagome looked to the back of the store once again before paying. She shook her head, bade Kaede a good night, and stepped out into the crisp air that had befallen the rest of the city.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ** I'm going to try to keep these short and the chapters long. I have a thing for writing long chapters and A/N but I'm trying to do the first one more rather than the later. For those of you who added alerts, favorites, and reviews that are coming back, thank you! And for those of you who are just joining, welcome and enjoy!

A Friend in Words,

-KB

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter two.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Kagome stepped out of her front door and into the crisp morning air. The scent of dew still hung heavy in the air and the birds chirped as she made her way into town, looking into the shop windows as she did. Many small stores had "going out of business" signs taped to the front windows and doors and some places had been abandoned for months already. There were giant "for sale" signs in those empty windows and every day, Kagome wondered if those signs would ever be taken down. Mom and pop shops were no longer a possibility it seemed, everyone wanted big stores with little prices. Kagome could remember a time when there wasn't an empty shop in the entire city let alone the entire block!

Turning the final corner, she walked the side walk to the corner store that the lights were on nice and bright, lighting the rest of her walkway generously. Kaede always opened the store as early as she could drag herself out of bed and that was usually much earlier than most. Kagome walked in and the scent of freshly brewed coffee hit her nose and Kaede smiled.

"Good morning, my dear." She rested her broom against the counter and crossed to over to her. "I hope you had a restful night."

"I did." Kagome couldn't help but smile at the older woman. "I hope you did too."

"No such luck for myself, I'm afraid." Her smile turned sad as she turned towards the window. The early morning light cast shadows on her worn and weary face. "I was up all night worrying. Before I closed the store, one of my regulars came in and happened to mention another huge corporate business trying to move into this block. They're trying to knock out all the businesses they can get their hands on. It's one of the reasons that my store isn't doing so well, that 'Coffee Run' place across town."

"Coffee Run? I think I've heard some people talking about that. But how can such a small store take away so much business? I don't think you have to worry too much about them closing us out."

"Coffee Run is anything but small." Kaede walked to her broom, absentmindedly pushing the same pile of dirt back and forth against the white tile floor. "It's a huge convenience store. Practically a super market but still with the commodities that people are looking for on their way to work. Their big kicker is their coffee bar with at least 50 different flavors at a time."

"Sounds silly, you can only have one flavor at a time and really enjoy it."

"I agree but it's much better than the 4, maybe 5 if the shipment comes in, pots that we have here. But the business is spreading fast through this country and they're even preparing to ship overseas! They're headed to the United States next!" Kaede began sweeping her pile of mess towards the front door. Kagome followed to hold the door open for her to allow the dust outside.

"This customer must have been here for at least an hour telling you all of this!"

"No, sadly that's what I was doing last night instead of sleeping. I was researching that blasted company and its plans to try to put my mind at ease. I read a quote from the CEO of the company and he said they plan to expand business anywhere and anyway they can. That doesn't sound to promising for a little shop like mine, especially if they're looking to take over this block." Kaede motioned for Kagome to let the door swing closed which left the younger girl in the silence of the store while the other swept the side walk outside.

No, this whole thing really didn't sound good for the shop. Kaede was constantly worrying about sales, now she had to be worried about a corporation coming in and running them out too. Kagome reached under the counter for her old and worn apron, looking at it in her hands as she turned the fabric every which way. It was stained and old and one of the corners was even fraying. She had, after all, had this same apron since she was still in high school. This shop was her first job and she had spent more happy times here than anywhere. Exhaling slowly, Kagome put the loop around her neck and under her hair and tied the string around her middle. She walked over to the coffee pots and made herself a cup before going to the register. Kaede would always let her have her morning coffee free, but today, Kagome rang herself up and placed the money in the register quickly before Kaede stepped back inside with her broom.

X

Kagome had decided to stay a little later than she usually did, business was busier than normal during lunch and her plans to clean the drink coolers got pushed aside until much later. She was on the last cooler, wiping each of the metal holders until they sparkled like the rest of the store. Placing the bottles of soda and water back in the holders, she turned around and wiped her forehead on her sleeve. It was just about dark outside and Kaede was walking down the stairs from her upstairs apartment.

"I just finished every cooler." Kagome said picking up the bucket of dirty water she acquired.

"Thank you, I would have done it last night but I'm having trouble bending down to get the bottom rungs."

"No problem, I was here anyway." While Kagome moved to the back room to dump the water out in the sink basin, the door opened and the colder breeze of the night whipped in, rustling the papers that were still stacked in the holder by the door. She washed her hands and walked out and looked around the store, looking for whoever had walked in. Much to her satisfaction, it was exactly who she expected; the man with the silver hair.

"Good evening, Inu-Yasha." Kaede said as if they had known each other for years. "How was work today?"

"Same shit, different day." He shrugged while putting his selections on the counter and pulling out a wallet.

'Inu-Yasha… What an odd name that is.' Kagome thought to herself. Kaede met the girl's inquisitive gaze and spoke up.

"Kagome, I'm sure you've seen Inu-Yasha here a number of times. He's one of our best customers." Kaede walked out from behind the counter and pulled Kagome over by the arm to the one called Inu-Yasha. "Kagome, this is Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha, Kagome."

"Nice to formally meet you, especially when I'm not bumping into you!" Trying to be polite, she stuck her hand out for a few seconds before her eyes traveled from her hand up to the man's golden gaze. He seemed to be scanning over her with his eyes and Kagome suddenly felt incredibly exposed. Her hand shrank back a bit before he grabbed it and shook her hand.

"You too." He said finally meeting her gaze. Kagome took that moment to really look at his eyes, they were so peculiar. She thought she had seen just about every eye color there was to see what with dealing with the public, but these eyes were almost unreal. She wanted to look and see if he was wearing contact lenses, anything to justify the surreal amber color that his irises held. Kagome realized she must have been staring when Inu-Yasha's face contorted in confusion and she shook her head.

"Sorry, I've just never seen eyes like yours before. They're incredible." She felt the words slip from her lips and in turn felt her cheeks grow very hot.

"Yeah, they're definitely different. Can't say I've seen any humans with the same ones." This was the first time she had ever seen him smile in all the times she had seen him in the store. At the edge of his bottom lip, a sharp fang stuck out causing even more surprise to his appearance. In attempts to no longer stare at the man and make herself seem anymore odd, Kagome turned to Kaede while removing her apron.

"What time would you like me in tomorrow Kaede?"

"Well, since you stayed so late tonight, just come in tomorrow morning and you can leave in the afternoon."

"Sounds perfect." Kagome grabbed her bottle of soda she had bought before and headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early then. Oh, and nice to meet you, Inu-Yasha!" Offering a wave, she walked out with a groan.

'That was so embarrassing. I can't believe I did that! Staring at the poor guy, I'm sure he has to put up with that enough from strangers let alone someone he's meeting! Stupid.' She cursed herself for a few moments before calming herself and just listening to her surroundings. Something seemed off to her. She had turned a few corners in her journey home and had heard footsteps behind her each time she turned. Starting to get nervous, she sped up a bit, wanting to turn around but too scared to do so. When she reached the very last block of the city, she reached into her pocket carefully and pulled out a coin. Kagome dropped it by "accident" and heard the footsteps stop with her own. Just as she was going to use the coin as an excuse to turn around, a hand reached down and picked it up, offering it to her. Blinking at the object almost dumbly, Kagome looked up to whom the hand was attached to.

"Oh, Inu-Yasha. Thank you." Taking the coin back, she felt even more stupid. "I was reaching for my cell phone and it must have been on top of my phone!" Good save.

"Next time be more careful. You let these people know you have money on you and they just might jump you." Inu-Yasha moved past her, a long trail of silver shimmering in the street light above. Admittedly, Kagome hadn't even thought of that. In her panic she couldn't even think straight and if that had been anyone other than Inu-Yasha, she could have seriously been in danger. Once again, Kagome silently cursed herself and began walking again. Noticing that she was walking in the same direction as the man in front of her, she decided to call out.

"So, Inu-Yasha, are you headed home?"

"Yeah. I guess you are too?" He asked uncapping his drink and taking a swig.

"Yeah." And that's where the conversation sat for an uncomfortable amount of time. Kagome tried to come up with anything to say and was struck by something when Inu-Yasha turned down her street. "You live on this street too?"

"My brother and I moved here about a year ago."

"Do you like it here? I've been living here all my life." She smiled.

"It's some place to live. I'm not really a city kinda guy."

"Well, the city life's not one for everyone but at least there's always something to do and see!" Inu-Yasha seemed to look at her with the faintest hint of a smile. "This is my house here. I guess I won't see you tomorrow since I'm out early but I'm sure I'll see you eventually. Good night!" She gave a slight bow and began walking up the stairs to her home that was also a shrine. From the very high stairs, she watched Inu-Yasha as he walked down to the very end of her street. He stopped at the gated community entrance and pushed a button on a keypad by the sidewalk. After a few moments of pause, the gate swung open and allowed him in, closing immediately behind him.

'Guess his family must be loaded, living in that gated place? They only just built it and from what I've seen, it's only full of mansions!' Deciding a bath would be a good idea, Kagome walked the rest of the short distance into her home.

X

The next morning, Kagome woke up a little later than she planned and decided to get something to eat once she got into work. She opened the door and was greeted by the smell of rain left from the previous night's storm. Humidity clung to the air around her and made her hair feel heavier than normal on her shoulders. The weather reports had said that today was going to be quite hot and she decided to give herself the job of digging out the smaller cooler from the back. She also decided she would make a nice display by the door of water bottles in the cooler in question. Walking down the large stone stair case, Kagome shot a look to her left to the gated community that Inu-Yasha had disappeared in the previous night. She didn't expect to see him walking down the sidewalk but decided to look just in case. Her mind satisfied that he wasn't going to stroll out any time soon, she continued walking into town on her normal route. Kagome looked at her cell phone, the bright light stinging her eyes a bit before they adjusted. She had an email from Sango saying that she should stop by the apartment to see it. Gaining a smile quickly, she turned into work and bade Kaede a good morning before setting off to begin the task that she had assigned herself. Kaede stood back with a grin, happy to see the young woman taking such initiative and with good cause; businessmen were popping in and asking Kagome for the bottles in her hands.

"Of course! And we'll be open all day if you need another." Kagome said, bringing the customer to the counter. The sales were like this all day, people stopping in for water bottles and some for bags of ice or ice cream and all day, Kagome preoccupied herself with refilling the cooler by the door. They were busy enough that she began to lose track of the time and it was a little before noon when she finally looked at the clock. Wiping her forehead on her arm, she exhaled deeply. "I left the water out front if you want to keep the cooler here for the rest of the day. It's supposed to be like this tomorrow too."

"I think that was a wonderful idea, thank you Kagome."

"I was just thinking about it on my way here this morning. Any time you want me to come in tomorrow?" As she asked this, Inu-Yasha walked into the store and distracted the both of them from their conversation. "Hey Inu-Yasha, you're here early." Brushing off what Kagome had said with a shrug, Inu-Yasha pulled a water bottle out of the cooler and a few things off the shelves for snacks.

"It's too hot to look for a place to eat. Figured I'd stop in here and save myself the heat." He explained while putting his money on the counter for Kaede.

"Yes, but I never see you in here this early…" Kaede's eyes narrowed just slightly at the man who averted his look. His eyes traveled towards Kagome which made her feel uncomfortable before she turned back to Kaede. "Kagome, tomorrow you can take the day off. I think you've done enough this week for me to last a day without you."

"That sounds great, Sango just asked me to see her and Miroku soon, I'll tell her I can go tomorrow then!" Inu-Yasha seemed to have a puzzled look on his face before he grabbed his things and moved towards the door.

"I'll see you later tonight, Inu-Yasha." Kaede waved as the man moved to walk out the door without another word.

"He's so strange…" Kagome commented watching him walk away through the windows.

"That he is, he always has been ever since I've met him." Rubbing her neck slightly, she looked out the window with Kagome. "He never comes in this early, wonder what brought him in today. Maybe he came to see you before you left."

"Kaede, I seriously doubt that." She laughed and walked towards the door as well. "Good luck with that cooler, looks like it's running out again!"

"I'll try to manage." Kagome walked out into the quickly approaching summer heat, whistling a little happy tune with the tempo of her step.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_I think I can safely say that I have most of this fic planned out in my head event wise, it's just so difficult to figure out where to put what! This should be an interesting journey, I just hope that some good writing comes out of it too. Enjoy._

_A friend in words,_

_-KB_

* * *

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter three.

Kagome had awoken to a surprise that the weather forecast had not predicted, dark clouds circled the sky above her home. Looking at the news now, they predicted heavy showers throughout the day and flash flooding in some areas. Deciding to make the best of things, she dug her rain boots out of the closet and grabbed an umbrella determined to enjoy her day off no matter what she had to do.

It was dark outside, the clouds over Kagome's head threatening to burst open any moment. Not wanting to take the chance of getting soaked, especially since she had taken the time to look nice, she opened her umbrella and pulled out her phone to read the directions that Sango had sent her. They took her through the opposite side of town from where she worked, the part that she was less familiar with. Softly, she could hear a pitter-patter over her head from the rain drops that had begun to fall and the wind suddenly shifted. Just as it seemed that the clouds could not get any darker, the sky had opened up and had begun to pour water down onto the city. Kagome silently thanked herself for the good idea of her boots and pressed on, wiping stray rain drops from her phone's screen. She turned the final corner to Sango's apartment just as the wind took her umbrella and whipped it inside out. Making a slight squeak of surprise, Kagome turned it right-side-out and ran the rest of the way to the building. She climbed the multiple flights of stairs and double checked her phone for the apartment number. Satisfied it matched, she knocked lightly and stood back, shaking her umbrella out as she did.

There were faint footsteps from behind the door that paused for a moment before the door opened to Sango's smiling face. "Welcome to the new place!" She exclaimed pushing the door open.

"Sango, this is beautiful!" Kagome walked in in awe, her blue eyes lighting up with each sight. The living room had perhaps the most beautiful view of the city, even if it was shrouded under a rain storm. The television sat on the wall next to the window, opposite a large couch that looked as if the cushions were too comfortable which matched a love seat facing out of the huge window. The kitchen was to the left of the living room with brand new stainless steel appliances and a large amount of counter space. Even with a few boxes littering the corners, the apartment was a sight to behold. "This place looks expensive, I thought you were having trouble making ends meet even at your last place?" Kagome asked her friend out of pure curiosity. While she fully enjoyed all the wonderful time she spent at Sango's last apartment, it was quite run down and the electricity sometimes shut off at inconvenient times. That apartment had been too expensive for her but how in the world was she in this gorgeous building now?

"Well, remember when Miroku's father passed away a few years ago? He left him a ton of money that he could use however he wanted when he reached a certain age. His father was a ridiculously wealthy business man and he had a lot to leave him when he died." Sango led Kagome over to the couch which upon sitting she discovered it was indeed much too comfortable.

"Oh wow, I never even figured anything like that. Is that why Miroku is going after a degree in business?"

"Yes," Sango confirmed as she pushed a light switch up, causing the track lighting to come to life. "He wishes to take over his family's business again and get the new CEO out of there. He's really running amuck with that place. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Kagome shook her head and kept her eyes moving around the space. "Where's Miroku anyway?"

"He's at the store right now, we figured out that we don't have any pillows for the guest bedroom and it really bothered the both of us so he ran out."

"A guest bedroom in an apartment. You really are living it up aren't you?" Sango shrugged and walked over to the kitchen, pulling a cup out of the cupboard and pouring herself some juice from the fridge, Sango walked back over to Kagome, sitting on the love seat and placing her cup on the coffee table.

"Miroku invited one of his friends over today too," Sango took a sip of her drink before placing it back down. "I'm a little excited, in all the years we've been dating, I've never met any of his friends." The statement had been true. Kagome knew Miroku pretty well but on casual hangouts, she noticed Miroku opted to not bring any of his friends. She found it a bit odd but Sango never seemed to react to it so Kagome swept it under the rug as well. The jingling of keys pulled her attention to the door where Miroku appeared in moments later. In his arms were two bags that seemed unmistakably pillow shaped and one that seemed to have slightly different contents. He moved to the small dining room that was to the left of the entrance way and in front of the kitchen to place the bags on the table before walking over to the two women.

"Kagome, welcome to the new home!" He bent slightly and gave her cheek a quick kiss before walking over to Sango and kissing her square on the lips. "And Sango, I told you to not get any prettier while I was away!"

"Oh shut it." Sango batted away at him, she was never one for public displays of affection.

"Miroku, this apartment is beautiful." Kagome complimented, not even noticing the dining room until now. A beautiful lighting fixture hung low over the table, refracting the light that hung within the glass shards.

"I figured since I plan to keep Sango for a while I might as well go all out on the apartment." Miroku passed a wink to her and Sango rolled her eyes at the comment. Despite Sango's protests, Kagome had to admit that Miroku was more of a gentleman than just about any man she'd ever met. Sango would argue that it was just him being a womanizer more than being charming, but whenever she'd say that, Kagome would notice the slight underlying smile that graced her lips.

"And I hear we're finally going to meet one of your mysterious friends today."

"Yes. He should be he shortly." Miroku seemed to shift uncomfortably before he took a seat next to Sango.

"Anything we should know about him like him being a spy so we shouldn't ask about what he does for a living?" Kagome asked and earned a snicker from Sango. Miroku sighed slightly, running his hand over the back of his head and to the base of his short pony tail.

"No, I'm sure you'll have more questions about him than just his job." The comment rewarded him with confused glances from both of the women. "Anyway, Kagome do you want anything to drink?"

"No, really, I'm fine. Sango just asked."

"Oh, she's such a great hostess." He said sweetly while pecking her cheek. Sango's face flushed a bit as she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.

"Don't you have to put some of that food in the fridge?"

"That might be a good idea." Miroku walked and grabbed the non-pillow shaped bag and placed it on the kitchen counter, emptying it little by little.

"Oh right, I brought something for the both of you," Kagome reached into her hand bag and pulled out an envelope. "It's not much but it's just something for a housewarming gift." Sango ripped the top of the envelope open and pulled a small piece of cardboard out, looking from the plastic inside of it to Kagome.

"You didn't have to do this!" She said holding up the gift card to a popular home décor store.

"Hey, this place is beautiful but you could still use some stuff on the walls." Keeping her innocent smile Kagome found herself in Sango's embrace and patted her back. Miroku shot her a smile from the kitchen.

"Thank you Kagome. Sango and I were in a store the other day and she saw a piece of art with a cat on it. She almost cried when I pulled her away from it." It was true, Sango did love cats. She had a soft spot for them ever since she was a young girl, her father had bought her and her brother a beautiful blonde and black cat after their mother had passed away. It had taken away the sting for the younger Sango and to this day, she was very close to her cat; Kirara, Kagome thought her name was. It broke her heart whenever she would leave from her father's home from a visit. Her cat would walk her to the door and watch as she left.

"I didn't cry, it was just really cute." Sango said in a bit of a sigh as there was a rough knock coming from the door. Miroku went to the door without question and began opening it, Kagome's eyes darting after him and slight butterflies in her stomach. She really was quite excited to meet the new person and she knew Sango must have been feeling if not the same sense of excitement as her, more. The door was flung open and Kagome's jaw dropped.

"Sango, Kagome, this is my best childhood friend." Miroku used his hands in a displaying motion as the visitor stepped through the door. "This is Inu-Yasha."

Kagome looked over at Sango and saw a similar expression drawn across her features as her own though no doubt for different reasons. The man did after all have two furry dog ears sticking up from the top of his head. Taking her eyes back from Sango, Kagome looked over at Inu-Yasha who had caught her gaze of complete and utter disbelief and had given it right back to her.

Miroku was best friends with this guy?! She had barely been able to get him to say more than two words in conversation with her and this guy had _friends_!? Sango, forgetting herself, got up and crossed the room and grabbed his hand in a shake. Kagome wasn't sure if the action was rushed out of embarrassment or as proof that she wasn't nearly as startled as she obviously was.

"Hi Inu-Yasha, I'm Sango. I wish I could say that I've heard so much about you but Miroku seems to keep his friends a secret."

"Oh yeah?" Inu-Yasha's golden gaze turned to Miroku who only shrugged.

"Would you have believed me if I told you my best friend was a half demon with long silver hair and dog ears?" Miroku said in a nonchalant voice which tightened Inu-Yasha's gaze to a glare.

"With you I've heard stranger." Sango remarked finally letting go of Inu-Yasha's hand a turning around to Kagome who was still staring blatantly at the half demon. "Kagome?" Her attention snapped back to reality and she got up and crossed to him.

"Inu-Yasha this is Sango's best friend Ka-"

"We've met." Inu-Yasha interrupted Miroku's introduction and kept his eyes on her.

"You have?" Sango cocked an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah, he shops at Kaede's every day." Kagome pushed out.

"When I have work." Inu-Yasha corrected.

"Right, we actually found out we live on the same street too."

"Really?" Miroku's eyes widened. "Well how about that. Why don't we all go and have a seat?" Leading the way for the rest of the group, Miroku sat on the love seat followed by Sango, leaving Kagome to sit on one side of the longer couch and Inu-Yasha on the other. There was a heavy few seconds of silence that was broken by the announcement that Miroku would fix drinks for everyone. Sango looked to Kagome whose eyes were down towards her feet and Inu-Yasha's were on her. The sound of a slight cough pulled the attention back to the long hair woman.

"So, Inu-Yasha, you and Miroku grew up together? What made you move up here?" Sango asked, glancing over her shoulder for a sight of Miroku.

"My brother and I were living together half way across the country when a business opportunity popped up here. So, he had to move and I had to go with him." Inu-Yasha explained and Miroku cleared his throat from the kitchen. The sound did not go unnoticed and Inu-Yasha's canine ear turned towards him slightly. "I work in the corporate store here a few blocks away."

"Oh, that's interesting. Your brother is an important business man then?"

"I guess you can say that, sure." Inu-Yasha's eyes traveled to Miroku who was carrying a few glasses of wine over to the coffee table and sat them down.

"Um, this might be an odd question to ask but your brother is also a demon like you, right?" Kagome asked with a bit of hesitation in her voice and took her glass.

"Not… Exactly." Inu-Yasha looked out the window at this.

"Inu-Yasha is a half demon while his brother is a full demon. They're a little different like that." Miroku explained sipping his glass calmly.

"How is that possible?"

"We're only half-brothers." Inu-Yasha continued to look out of the window. Lightning flashed in the distance. "My Mom was a human but Sesshomaru's was a demon so he thinks he's better than me in all aspects of his life. We don't get along too good, he can be a real bastard most of the time. But our old man died when I was just a kid and my Mom died when I was a little older so I had to move in with Sesshomaru because apparently it wasn't legal for me to live on my own yet. I would move out now but he's barely home anyway, it's like I have my own house I don't have to pay for."

'Sesshomaru and Inu-Yasha, those are some names.' Kagome played with the wine glass in her hands for a few moments before bringing it to her lips again. The faint sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Any other questions while we're at it?" The half-demon sat back with a huff with his glass in hand, taking a large gulp out of it.

"No, I think that's it for now…" Sango said shooting a sideways glance at Miroku who was more interested by a string on his shirt than paying attention to the awkward conversation that was taking place.

"I have one more." Kagome spoke up. "If you're a demon, er, half demon… Don't you age slower than regular humans? How did you grow up with Miroku?"

"I didn't say I met him when I was a kid. He was one when he first moved into our old town." Inu-Yasha spat out with more of an attitude than any other question he had answered. Kagome had decided that that was enough questions. She took another look over to her left and traced Inu-Yasha's form with her blue-grey eyes. It might have been an odd thing to say about a man, but he was remarkably beautiful in his appearance. The way his hair cascaded down his back was amazing, it was pin straight without a single knot and it shimmered in the lighting that flashed outside the window again. The way that it framed his strong jaw as it fell over his shoulders just drew her eyes back up to his own, the most brilliant gold color she had ever seen. And not to mention those ears…

"Kagome?"

"Yes?" She answered without missing a beat.

"I need your opinion on something in the bed room." Sango pulled her head in the direction of the hallway.

"Right now?"

"Yes." She insisted while getting up and quickly moving towards the hallway and ducking into the room. Kagome could see the confused nature of Inu-Yasha's face while Miroku continued to be silent with his wine glass to his lips. Following Sango, she closed the door behind her once she was in.

The master bedroom was also a sight to behold. It was a spacious room that had white walls and white carpet. It would have been a boring sight if it weren't for the gorgeous floor length windows that lined the far wall. Sango took a seat on the black bedding that still seemed new as she urged Kagome to do the same.

"Okay, so how well do you know this Inu-Yasha guy?" She never was one to beat around the bush with things like this.

"Sango, I barely know him. I just see him from time to time at work. It's not like I hang out with the guy."

"You're looking at him… Funny."

"What do you mean 'funny?'"

"You keep staring at him!"

"I can't be the only one to ever stare at him, look at him!"

"You're looking at more than just that." Sango said in a sly voice while her eyes narrowed. Thunder sounded in the background quite a deal louder than the last crack. The rain became heavier.

"So? It's not like you see a guy with dog ears every single day…" Kagome cleared her throat. "Besides, he's handsome, you have to admit." She felt her cheeks go hot under Sango's gaze.

"And there it is. Kagome, just watch what you're getting into, okay?" More lightning.

"Sango, I just think he's good looking, we're not getting married. Calm down." Kagome felt butterflies in her stomach all of a sudden. Why was she getting so embarrassed over this conversation? She and Sango had had many conversations over the course of the years similar to this one. But this was the first time she could recount this feeling. The loud clap of thunder shook her of her thoughts as the ground vibrated below her. "We should get back to the guys, they're probably going to think we're talking about them if we're in here too long."

"I guess you're right. But still, remember what I said, okay?" Sango smiled and opened the door, walking out as if a huge issue in the room had actually been resolved. Trying to keep her eyes away from the person on the other side of the couch, Kagome sat and looked at Miroku.

"Can I help cook or anything?"

"As a matter of fact, I happened to pick up all the ingredients that are needed for that fantastic stew you made a while ago." Miroku winked. Kagome giggled and got up to move to the kitchen with slight protests from Sango about Miroku's severe lack of manners. The two began bickering, Sango much more invested in it than Miroku who was making a joke out of most things she was bringing up. Kagome moved around the kitchen and hummed a song she knew very well, quietly and sweetly. What she didn't realize were the eyes that followed her through the flashes of lightning and the unwanted percussion of the thunder outside.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ** Bit of a somber chapter this time, hopefully not too much. Thank you all for your continued support, I hope I don't let you down.

A friend in words,  
-KB

* * *

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter four.

"Yes Mama, I get that but-"

"Kagome, please? I just don't feel safe knowing that you're out there in this."

"I can't just impose like that though."

"Well, if you can find a way home that doesn't involve you walking through the flooded streets then okay. But until then, please promise me that you'll stay with Sango? I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Kagome sighed heavily into her cell phone and nodded even though she knew her mother couldn't see the gesture.

"Okay."

"Thank you dear. If you find a way home, I'll see you tonight. If not, I'll see you in the morning." With that, the line went quiet and Kagome stuffed her phone back into the pocket of her white capris.

Dinner had been wonderful between the group, the conversation had been light although Inu-Yasha hadn't really taken part in it. They were now eating their dessert around the dinner table while the lightning flashed outside and the thunder shook the ground, flickering the lights as it did so. Kagome walked back to the table and plopped down in her seat, Sango shooting her a glance after she finished swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Apparently all the main roads are flooding over and the taxis can't get through to drive people. Mama said she wants me to stay here."

"It must have been meant to be, that's why we got our pillows today." Miroku smiled and turned his attention to the man sitting next to him. "And Inu-Yasha, you're more than welcome to stay as well."

"No way, I'm fine to go. A little water ain't going to keep me here." He passed with a shrug. Kagome looked out the window as the rain poured down in buckets.

"But how are you getting home? Mama said that the roads are a mess leading up to our road."

"I have my ways."

"What ways are those?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I don't want to bother Miroku and Sango and wondered if you could help me home!" Kagome said raising her voice in slight frustration.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because it's a decent thing to do!"

"Who wants seconds!?" Sango hopped up out of her chair with hers and Miroku's plate, walking over to the kitchen to serve more food onto them. Miroku's eyes were still locked on Inu-Yasha and Kagome, the chopsticks he had in his hand still hanging slightly on his lower lip. Inu-Yasha had drawn back muttering under his breath while Kagome stabbed angrily at the dessert on her plate.

'"Why would I do that?" What a joke! I thought it was common courtesy to help a woman home. Unbelievable!' She thought to herself as she felt her eyebrows knit together. The sound of the dishes hitting the table top pulled her out of her inner monologue as she cleared her throat. "Sorry, so is it okay if I stay here just for tonight? I have to leave early in the morning for work anyway."

"That's fine of course you ca-"

"I'll take you home." The voice came as a shock to everyone.

"W-what?" Kagome stuttered back.

"Are you deaf? I said I'll take you home later." Inu-Yasha crossed his arms over his chest and Kagome felt her face turn hot.

"Oh… Uh, good. Thanks."

"If you're going to walk, you should probably leave soon. Not to push you both out but you're losing what little light you have." Miroku pointed out the window to the rapidly turning sky.

"Just be careful." Sango said quietly while Inu-Yasha stood up and stretched.

"We will be. Thanks again both of you!" Kagome made an attempt to consolidate her place at the table while Sango shook her head and pointed towards the door.

"We got it Kagome, thanks again. Next time you can stay longer." Sango reassured the girl with a smile. Inu-Yasha crossed the room to the front door with Miroku and Kagome in tow, Miroku lunging ahead to pull the door open.

"Be safe, let us know when you're both home." Looking at Kagome in particular, he winked. Kagome bid the two goodbye and Miroku closed the door behind him.

"I can see why you didn't tell me about any of your friends. He definitely makes a first impression." Sango sighed, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.

"I figured you'd think as much."

X

Kagome stood on the front porch under the slight shelter the roof provided, fighting with her umbrella. When the wind had taken it earlier in the day, it must have broken one of the springs; she was having great difficulty deploying it. Inu-Yasha watched her with a golden gaze, seemingly judging her every move. When Kagome finally got her umbrella opened, she walked down the stairs towards the puddles that lined the sidewalk only to have the contraption above her head be whisked inside out once again, a large rip forming as it did so. She squealed and ran back up the stairs, throwing the useless umbrella into the trash can beside the flight.

"That was my only umbrella!" She stomped her foot in frustration and looked to Inu-Yasha. "So how exactly are we getting home?"

"I told you I have my ways." He said and stepped out into the down pour with little to no qualms about it. Kagome watched in horror as he stepped off the final step and into a deep puddle, the water seeping up his pant leg immediately. "You coming or you going to wait for something to float down the road you can catch a ride on?"

"But I'm going to get soaked!" Kagome pointed down to her white pants.

"So what? Who else is going to be out here to see you?" Opening her mouth to protest, it closed as she realized he had a point. Holding her breath as if diving into a swimming pool, Kagome stepped out into the rain that she was surprised to find was not as cold as she had expected. Drop by drop her clothes became darker shades, only her feet being salvaged by the rubber of her brightly colored boots. She slightly expected Inu-Yasha to pull out a jet pack from somewhere but was highly disappointed when he just began to walk up the side walk as if it were a sunny day out.

"So these are your "ways"?" Kagome air quoted at his back.

"Yep."

"Well, I could have done this!" She started walking towards him.

"So why didn't you?"

"Because I…"

"No real reason, so just shut up and we'll get there." Gritting her teeth, Kagome fell into step next to the irritating half demon.

'What a jerk! I take back every nice thing I've ever said about him!' Taking a sideways glance at him, she noticed that he was much more unaffected by any and all tiffs that the two had had over the past few hours than she was. Kagome couldn't believe his facial expression had remained unchanged while her cheeks grew hot and irritation bubbled so wildly in her stomach, she wouldn't believe it if anyone said it wasn't visible on her face. She looked back ahead to the street that was flooding a little past the curb and onto the sidewalk. 'The sooner this walk home is over, the better.'

The duo turned the corner onto the main street of town which was beginning to flood badly from the river that flowed close by. Kagome and Inu-Yasha were both soaked through, Inu-Yasha's silver strands clumped together and clung to his body along with his clothes. Kagome shivered and screeched, startling Inu-Yasha out of his staring match with the air ahead of him.

"What!?"

"There's a leak in my boot! My foot is soaked!" She pointed down to her foot that was submerged in the flood water.

"We're almost out of town!" Inu-Yasha pointed to a seemingly far off street that led to theirs. Kagome followed his finger and jumped slightly when a streak of lightning momentarily blinded her with the reflection off the flood waters.

"If we don't get electrocuted first!" Kagome groaned. Inu-Yasha made a growling sound low in his throat before bending down in front of Kagome. "…What are you doing?"

"I'm tired of your complaining. Get on." She stared at him for the longest time while thunder raged in the background. "Come on."

"You can't… I'm too heavy!" Trying to keep her modesty, Kagome tried to walk a few more steps (grimacing noticeably at the gentle "squish" her sock gave in her boot) before Inu-Yasha reached a clawed hand out to grip her calf gently.

"I swear you're not too heavy. Just get on." Inu-Yasha looked her straight in the eye and Kagome froze. She stared back for a few more moments while chewing on her bottom lip and slowly nodded her head, a rain drop traveling from the crown of her head down to her chin. Inu-Yasha released her leg as Kagome walked behind him and slung her legs around his sides. Gaining his footing, Inu-Yasha put his arms under her legs and clasped his hands under her bottom, earning a bright blush from the girl on his back. "I want you to hold on tight until we're out of town, got it?"

"Yeah." Not sure why she had to hold on tight, she held her breath for a reason she couldn't figure out herself. She was glad she did when Inu-Yasha began to pick up his pace into a run and almost into a glide. Kagome couldn't believe what she was experiencing; it was almost as if Inu-Yasha was flying from street corner to street corner and over the worst of the flooding! As she felt her stomach still in the sky while she was on the ground, Kagome tightened her grip around his shoulders as well as her legs around his torso. Inu-Yasha looked back with a smile as she did so, although she couldn't be totally sure if it was a legitimate smile or just a cocky grin. She noticed the edge of town was fast approaching and suppressed a yelp when Inu-Yasha took a powerful leap and landed right on dry land. Once his feet touched down on the sidewalk, he reverted to his normal walking pace, Kagome still secure on his back. "…Amazing."

"What?"

"That was amazing!" Kagome breathed into his ear. She didn't get a response to her comment, only a clearing of the other's throat. The black haired woman relaxed a bit and relieved Inu-Yasha's sides of the pressure of her legs and rested her hands a bit. Not only was his speed amazing, but so was his frame. He wasn't the tallest person she'd ever seen, but his shoulders were so broad… And with her legs around his middle, she could feel the hard muscle that easily visible through his soaked attire.

Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, she saw the large stone stair case that led up to the shrine that held her home. Inu-Yasha's hands unclasped from under her as she slid down onto the sidewalk. Kagome noticed that she was even more soaked from the fast paced run that the half demon had taken and rang her hair out on the cement to no avail.

"Thanks for getting me home." Kagome smiled meekly, hoping her cheeks were nearly as flushed as they felt.

"No problem. I had to get you to stop complaining somehow." It seemed as though he was trying to get one last rise out of her.

"Right." Clearing her throat she looked up the stairs. "Can I get you anything before you go home?"

"Nah, I'm not too far, I'll make it." The corner of the silver-haired man's mouth turned upward. "But you might wanna get in the house."

"Why? I'm already soaked, a little more rain water won't matter that much."

"Yeah, but your pants are already see through enough." Inu-Yasha's mouth turned up into a full out smirk as Kagome panicked and looked down. Her hands shot down to cover herself and by the time she looked back up, Inu-Yasha had broken into a full out sprint back down the street.

"YOU JERK!" Kagome screamed after him as she ran up the stairs.

X

The streets were quiet. It was almost eerie walking down and seeing all the water marked buildings and debris left by the storm. Every so often, Kagome could hear the sound of brooms sweeping wet ground along with choruses of exhausted sighs and faint curses. Her shoes still splashed through small puddles that remained after the flood waters. Kagome had to take a deep breath as she turned the corner to Kaede's shop and exhaled slowly as she walked towards it.

'It doesn't look as bad here as it does in the rest of town. Maybe our shop was spared. I don't see Kaede out sweeping so that might be a good sign.' Pushing the door open, Kagome was upset to see that wasn't the case. Her hand went to her mouth.

The tile floor that had been spotless a mere day before was now soiled with dirt and muck. The shelves had been moved slightly by the water and food lay sprawled over the floor in disarray. Most of the coolers were turned off, most likely by electrical shortage, and Kaede stood cleaning the milk out of them.

"Kaede…" The older woman seemed to flinch as her name was called and turned around slowly, tears in her eyes.

"All of this has to go in the garbage. It's all ruined." Placing the milk bottles at her feet Kaede swallowed audibly. "I have to close for a few days and clean this place from ceiling to floor or we'll be condemned."

"It's okay! I'll help and we'll get everything back in order. We get flash floods all the time and it only takes a little while to clean up." While the river was pretty to look at, Kagome had to admit that it wasn't the most convenient thing to have right outside a busy downtown area.

"The water was dirtier than usual. I've never had this much filth in here from a storm." She scuffed her shoe at the thick grime on the floor tiles. "I heard a shop owner up the street saying that it was due to the waste from that damned Coffee Run shop. They're ruining us." Kagome noticed the woman's fists balling at her sides.

"I-It's okay, really. We'll just work non-stop for a few days."

"Kagome, I can't afford to pay you to work for a while. I have to replace all of my lost merchandise and that's nearly all the money that I have." Kaede turned back to the cooler and Kagome looked at the door, not wanting to see the defeated form of the woman she considered her family. She looked out to the tree that sat on the grassy patch of the walkway. The little flowers that danced happily in the wind were gone and replaced by ample bouts of mud. She watched as shop owners locked their doors and mopped their floors, her heart breaking with each sight.

'I was having fun all of yesterday while all of this was happening,' Kagome's mind taunted her. 'I could have stopped her on my way home and helped Kaede. I was so distracted by Inu-Yasha and my arguments that I didn't even think to do that.' Her eyes dropped slightly. With that movement, she noticed something fluttering in the slight breeze outside, it seemed as though it was taped to the window. She walked over and opened the door, sticking her hand out and retrieving the thin piece of paper. Kagome scanned it over, beautiful calligraphy graced the length of the paper with an unreadable signature on the bottom. Reading it, her heart sank and anger boiled inside of her stomach.

"_I'm afraid this is the beginning of the emanate end for your shop. Perhaps this will make it that much easier for you to surrender this property. When you're ready to do so, I'll be waiting._

**C.E.O., CR inc**."

Kagome stared at the signature above the letters that were boldly printed on the bottom of the paper, trying desperately to make out any kind of lettering to get a lead as to who would write such a threatening and upsetting message. Unfortunately, she was not able to make anything out and Kaede had turned around to her again.

"What's wrong, child?" She asked the blue-eyed girl curiously. Kagome looked up from the paper and shook her head.

"Nothing, Kaede." She stuffed the paper into her jean pocket by her cell phone. "I was just going to say, don't worry about paying me. I'll work for free the next few days." Crossing into the old stock room, Kagome grabbed the mop that was hanging on brackets on the far wall and began mopping away the excess water. She missed the affectionate smile that Kaede adorned on her wrinkled face but couldn't be concerned with anything at the moment.

She'd be damned if Kaede lost the shop now.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This chapter was originally much longer but I decided to move some things to next chapter. For those of you who don't have a retail background, the topic of "ranks" within the store are (usually, not always, it depends on the company): associate – assistant manager – store manager – district/regional manager-corporate (C.E.O.s and what not). While this may not be the case in every store, this will be what I use in this story. I hope this clears any confusion.

A friend in words,

-KB

* * *

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter five

Days had gone by and the shop was cleaned out little by little. Kagome enlisted the help of her mother during the day time and her younger brother, Souta, when he was home from school in the afternoons. Sango even volunteered her time for the two days she had off from her own job which was slowly but surely recovering as well. Kaede's insurance on the shop had given her enough money to replace the damaged coolers and electricity had been turned back on in the town a few days prior. Kagome plugged in the final cooler and watched its lights flash alive, bringing a clean glow to the store.

However clean and new the store looked, it was still empty. Kaede had ordered her stock out of her own pocket and was expected the delivery the next day. It was a long few days, but the end finally seemed to be coming nearer.

"If the shipment gets here early enough tomorrow, I may be able to reopen." Kaede said, wiping her forehead on her sleeve. The comment brought a smile to Kagome's face.

"Good, I'll have Sango spread the word to her customers." Kaede nodded slightly and looked away from a moment.

"Kagome, the last few days, I've had a thought. I think I'm going to go to that Coffee Run store and see just what I'm dealing with." Kagome's stomach did a flip. "I hope it's nothing too terrible."

"I doubt it will be. Our customers love it here, the ones we do have. I bet that this place burns out fast and then all of our business will come back."

"I can only hope. Well, there's no use staying around here, let's head out, shall we?"

"Sure!" Kagome pulled her hair out of the messy ponytail she had previously kept it in, running her fingers through it as she walked out the door. She waited while Kaede locked the door and gazed up the street, the faces of many people reflecting in her blue-grey eyes. It had been days since she had seen Inu-Yasha since the shop wasn't open. Kagome hadn't even seen him coming to or from on her journeys and it puzzled her slightly. Every so often, he'd cross her mind and she'd wonder what he was up to, getting a slight flutter in her stomach thinking maybe he'd stop by the store on his way home that day. But he never did, and each day Kagome found herself becoming more disappointed with the passing time. She turned to noticed Kaede beginning to walk down the sidewalk and snapped herself out of her thoughts in order to follow along with the older woman, lifting her face up to the clear blue sky.

The smell of the river still had not washed away despite the cleanup efforts of the whole town. Everywhere, people volunteered to clean the garbage out of the streets as well as wash windows and paint. The flood had been quite severe, but luckily there were few injuries and no deaths to report from it. That was the first news report Kagome had heard once the television was back on at her home. 'This had the potential to be much worse' the report reminded. Kagome could only agree slightly at the statement. Kaede was exhausted from the past few days of working at her shop and throwing out merchandise. It almost pained her to do so knowing that she had so little money to replace everything. While she was looking through the order book, Kagome looked over her shoulder and suggested new items that she thought would draw more customers in with the right price. Things such as headphones for electronics and she even convinced Kaede to order a new coffee machine for fancier drinks that would undoubtedly bring teenagers and young adults in. All in all, Kagome had a bright outlook for the future of the shop and she hoped that Kaede shared in the vision.

As the duo turned the corner, Kagome's eyes were met with a rather large establishment with a sign on the top middle of the building. The words "Coffee Run" were in bright letters, an illustrated coffee cup was holding hands with a spoon and seemed to be running somewhere unknown. The faces on both the cup and spoon were sickening cute looking and Kagome almost had to stifle herself from rolling her eyes. The store had a few steps that lead up to the front automatic door and a ramp on the side for strollers or wheelchairs. Kaede began to climb the small concrete stair case, holding onto the railing that ran down the middle. Kagome looked at the bundles that customers were carrying away; coffee cups in cardboard trays, boxes filled with pastries, and some people even carried bags upon bags out of the store. She honestly wondered what those people were buying that they needed two or three people to help them with the bags, but with a deep breath, she followed Kaede into the store.

"Oh my…" Kaede breathed as she stepped in and took in the sight around her. The store was enormous on the inside with unnecessarily high ceilings which made the inside seem even more daunting than it was. The floors were stark white tile that was so clean, it would make their eyes cross if they looked at it too long. When first walking in, there was a line-up of a few aisles of coolers and freezers holding every kind of drink imaginable as well as ice cream and other frozen treats. Next to these coolers were aisles of snacks, candies and chips with many colors hitting the eye. At the far end, more coolers sat, those stocked with alcoholic beverages up and down as far as the eye could see. Looking down the first aisle, Kagome could see a pink awning with the words "take a pastry run" written on the top when the smell of fresh pastries being baked hit her nose. She could feel her stomach growl as she decided to look away.

Even with everything that she had already seen, the real kicker was the entire middle of the store. At least 50 people crowded around a long bar that was filled with coffee dispensers. The same coffee cup and spoon that were on the sign outside were suspended above the bar to which children of customers pointed to with a smile. Reading some of the flavors, Kagome's head began to spin with things she never even considered drinking as coffee. There were different sized cups underneath every dispenser as well as a few sections of the bar that were devoted to fixings such as cream, sugar, and added flavorings. Kagome looked towards the ends of the coffee bar and saw that tea was also available.

"This is unbelievable." Kagome said almost as breathless as Kaede. The two moved towards the crowd having no intention to get wrapped up in it and moved behind the main bar to a smaller one that ran parallel to the coffee bar. While smaller, it was an impressive set up with all sorts of breakfast foods and take-out trays. There was a schedule posted on the top of the bar that showed what times breakfast would change to lunch, lunch to dinner, and dinner to dessert. Kagome shook her head and looked to Kaede whose eyes seemed much heavier and sadder than before.

"Well, I'd say everything makes sense now." Kaede smiled sadly. "No wonder people want these all over town. There's little to nothing you can't get here."

"Maybe we should get back to the shop." Kagome suggested quietly and waited for Kaede to turn around. She felt just terrible and suddenly wished she had told Kaede that going was a bad idea. They made their way towards the automatic exit door as a flash of silver caught her eye. "Inu-Yasha?" She called at the figure that was walking past.

A silver dog ear flicked in her direction, causing the man to stop and turn to her. Kaede had also heard the name and stopped to turn around.

"Oh, hey." He said curtly.

"Don't tell me you're cheating on our shop too!" Kagome said in a joking manner but there was some sincerity to the comment.

"No, not that. I uh, work here." He said pointing to the name tag on his chest. Sure enough, his name was printed on the tag with the little word "manager" printed under it.

"Oh so you're an assistant manager here! That's impressive." Kagome was excited to find out something more about Inu-Yasha, the guy was so different and mysterious and yet here he was at a retail job like a normal person.

"Not really an assistant. This is my store, I'm the store manager here." Kagome felt her jaw hit the floor at Inu-Yasha's statement.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I told you, my asshole brother owns the corporation, figured if he was taking me with him he might as well put me to work, I guess." Inu-Yasha threw a clawed thumb over his shoulder to a high-up office that overlooked the entirety of the store. "This is the corporate store so my brother sits on his throne up there while the rest of us work out asses off down here."

"But you're so young! I never would have guessed you ran a store this huge!"

"Yeah well, I do." An ear twitched towards the same office he had referred to moments before and Kagome's eyes traveled to the same place. She could have sworn that she saw a tall shadow for a moment before it retreated back and her eyes were drawn back down. For a brief moment, Kagome looked to the people walking past them and into the store. A couple of them stared at Inu-Yasha with confusion in their faces, some explained about the demon subculture throughout the country to their children and friends. The stares suddenly made Kagome very uncomfortable and she wasn't sure why.

"Well, I guess we should let you get back to work." Kaede said knowing the look on Inu-Yasha's face. "And Inu-Yasha, we're re-opening tomorrow. I hope you'll stop by." Inu-Yasha turned on his heel and waved without looking at the duo, back on task to whatever crisis he was going to solve now. "Shall we?" Kaede said nodding her heads towards the door. Kagome silently agreed and walked back out into the summer heat.

Inu-Yasha had watched the two retreat out the doors from the bakery where he was headed to in order to help the bakers unjam a machine. Once he had the problem solved, he was about to move back to where he was previously when the intercom beeped over the soft music playing.

"_Inu-Yasha, you're needed in the office immediately, thank you._" The woman's voice cut off with another beep as he groaned to himself and walked over to the stairs. He began the long ascent upwards (it wasn't terribly far up, it only seemed to be) and as he reached the office, he knocked on the door twice and crossed his arms. The door was opened and he stepped in, walking onto the perfectly kept carpet. A mahogany desk sat towards the back of the room while a meeting table took precedence over most of the room. A dignified looking man with cascading silver hair looked up from behind his sleek reading glasses and took them off as Inu-Yasha flopped down in the black leather chair opposite the desk.

"What?" He grunted with his arms still crossed, looking more like an irritated child than anything.

"I see you were speaking with Kaede." The man said coldly.

"And what of it?"

"You know exactly why I called you in here, Inu-Yasha." The elder of the two sat up straighter. "Her shop is the last on the block that we need gone in order to have our third and final store set up."

"Sesshomaru, I can't do anything about where people set up their shops. If her business is still going, good for fucking her. I can't just tell them to leave." Inu-Yasha was glaring daggers at his older brother who seemed completely unaffected at anything that happened to come out of the half demon's mouth. Sesshomaru lifted his hand to place his head on, his palm coming to rest on his red-striped cheek. He looked utterly uninterested in Inu-Yasha's protests.

"I want them gone. Either you talk them into leaving of their own accord or I'll take care of it myself."

"Fuck you." Inu-Yasha got up out of the chair and jabbed the door open button that was on a circuit box on Sesshomaru's desk. He flipped around towards the open door and stomped towards it. "I ain't taking no part in your dirty work, Sesshomaru. You want to get your hands dirty, do it yourself." The half demon slammed the door behind him, the machinery in it whining in protest of the force. Sesshomaru's mouth turned upwards only slightly at his brother's actions before getting up himself and walking over to the tinted window at the front of the office. He watched as silver hair on the floor below mixed into a vast amount of customers and became lost to his golden eyes.

"Little brother, you never do learn that I always get my way somehow, do you?"

X

Much to Kaede and Kagome's surprise, the delivery truck had come much sooner than they both expected and was waiting for them as they arrived back from Coffee Run. The two of them had worked feverishly for the remainder of the day to place the stock out in a pleasing way. While they were doing so, a man tapped the glass and mouthed a question of when they were going to open. Kaede's face beamed as she mouthed back "tomorrow" and the man nodded and continued on his way. Kagome couldn't even recall the last time she had seen the old woman smile so sincerely. The biggest shock, however, was when Kagome looked at the clock that read 11:00pm.

"It got late so fast!" She said standing up and stretching her sore back.

"Oh yes. I think I'll be able to pay you for your services today if we do well this week. I'll have to give you tomorrow off though. I should be able to handle our big reopening by myself tomorrow." Kaede said. "After these boxes are done, you should head home before it gets too late." Kagome nodded and tore into them, very eager to get home. A noise distracted her but she ignored it until it became louder and less easy to ignore. She looked up towards the door to see Inu-Yasha rapping on it lightly with a clawed fingertip. Seeing that she had finally noticed him, he stopped and waved her over to the door. Kagome unlocked it and let him in, Kaede not paying much mind to the situation.

"Inu-Yasha, what're you doing here?"

"I just closed up shop across town and was walking home. Since you're here, I figured I should walk you home considering the last time you would have gotten yourself mugged if I was a creep." His lips curled up into a smirk as Kagome's cheeks went red.

"You made me nervous, I would hardly get mugged."

"Okay, kidnapped then."

"You…" Kagome trailed off as Kaede moved towards them.

"Kagome, I can take it from here. Why don't you head home with Inu-Yasha."

"Are you sure? I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes."

"I insist. I'll see you on Wednesday, have a restful day off. You deserve it." Kaede smiled and walked over to the door to unlock it for the both of them.

"Okay then, see you Wednesday." She and Inu-Yasha both walked out and heard the tumblers of the lock in the door behind them. The streets were totally deserted and the sounds of their footsteps echoed off the buildings in the night. "You're out late tonight, normally you get out much earlier."

"Yeah well, my brother decided to dick around as much as he possibly could. We closed hours ago not that that means anything to him. He's off on a business meeting for the next two days though, so I won't have to deal with him."

"Oh, well that's good I guess. Any plans for the next few days?"

"Not really. I have tomorrow off from the store, looks like we have that in common." He said with a shrug.

"Guess we'll both have relaxing days." Kagome offered a smile.

"Yeah." Inu-Yasha cut the conversation for a few seconds and then cleared his throat. "Hey Kagome?" The question took her by surprise, she was pretty sure that was the first time that he had ever addressed her by name and it sounded foreign coming from him. Although it sounded odd, she liked the way it her name rang when he said it.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you'd be able to come over to my place tomorrow? I have something really important to talk to you about."

"Important? With me? What could be so important?"

"I don't wanna get into it right now." He had a blush painted across his cheeks, it was ever-so-slight but still noticeable. "But it's really important and if you say you can, don't cancel on me." The duo were fast approaching the shrine and Inu-Yasha wasn't looking at her.

"Well, yeah, sure. Why not?" Kagome said swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Okay good." Inu-Yasha seemed to have been holding his breath the whole time and rubbed the back of his head as they stopped in front of the large stone stair case. "Give me a call tomorrow when you wake up. It doesn't have to be super early." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a slip of paper with numbers scribbled on it in messy handwriting. "It's my cell number, keep calling if I don't answer, I'm a heavy sleeper."

"O-okay." Kagome blinked a few times as Inu-Yasha turned to keep walking. He had walked a few feet before she called a hasty "good-night!" after him. He merely waved as she clutched the small slip of paper to her chest. What on earth had gotten into him all of a sudden!?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: ** I apologize for the delay, my summer class has started and I'm a little pressed for time. Thank you all for being patient, please enjoy. This is a long one!

A friend in words,

-KB

* * *

**Retail Therapy**  
Chapter six.

Kagome had woken up much earlier than she had intended to on her day off. She had planned to sleep at least midway through the morning but here she was, wide awake right after the sun had risen. For a long while, she listened to the quiet ticking of her alarm clock that sat by her head on the nightstand, trying her hardest just to get back to sleep. Eventually, however, she could have sworn the ticking was roughly the volume of a waterfall that she was standing next to and groaned loudly while flinging her legs over the bed side.

Opening her bedroom door, Kagome was used to smelling breakfast cooking and hearing her mother stirring but the house was stagnant. 'Even Mama is sleeping in on my day off…' Shaking her head to herself, she moved to the linen closet and grabbed two towels, deciding that a shower might be a good idea.

She emerged in a cloud of steam a half an hour later, her body and hair wrapped in the towels. Returning to her room, she pulled the closet door open and stared at her wardrobe. After a few minutes, Kagome smiled to herself.

"I don't know what to wear." Kagome usually never had an issue finding something to wear; she truthfully didn't care enough to worry about what would look good on her. Normally, the most she did was get up and go to work so why should she have to care? Today was a rare occasion though. She had butterflies in her tummy as she thought about the outfits she could possibly put on. Remembering Kaede mentioning the night before the possibility of extreme heat today, Kagome suddenly turned her attention to the dresses hanging to the far right of the closet. She pulled out a sun dress adorned with thick navy blue stripes and thinner white stripes and looked from the dress in her hand to the dresses in the closet, shaking her head once again. Kagome pulled the dress over her head and straightened it out by pushing her hands down the front. She tied the drawstring around her waist making a bow right above her navel. Looking to the mirror, she spun slightly, the flowing knee length material bunching and releasing with the movement.

Kagome's stomach growled loud enough for her to not be able to ignore it and she walked out the door with her hair towel still sitting on her shoulders. Making her way down the stairs, she almost ran straight into her mother who was scurrying about the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning dear, you got home late last night. I'm surprised you're up so early." Her mother smiled warmly.

"Good morning Mama, Kaede and I restocked the store last night, she's opening back up today."

"I'll have to stop in today. Is that where you're going all dressed up?" Her mother moved towards the stove. "Coffee or tea, Kagome?"

"Tea please. And no, I have today off." Kagome began vigorously drying her hair in the damp towel while taking her normal seat at the kitchen table.

"Oh, going out with Sango then?"

"No." Kagome finished the ends of her hair and noticed the quizzical stare she was being dealt.

"Then what are you up to?" She asked out of genuine curiosity. At least Kagome hoped it was, she was in her 20's after all, she didn't need to tell her mother everything she was up to.

"I'm going to Inu-Yasha's house today. He lives down the street in that gated community." She tried to pass her statement off as nonchalantly as possible but she felt pangs of nervousness twist her stomach.

"Inu-Yasha," she said while putting the water on the stove top. "The boy who took you home in the storm?"

"Yup, that's him." Kagome wanted nothing more than the subject to be dropped, but she knew it was an empty wish.

"Inu-Yasha, what a peculiar name."

"Yep…" Kagome began to bounce her leg under the table, a very obvious sign that her nerves were being tested. Her mother chuckled slightly and looked up to the celling when she heard someone's footsteps.

"Well, Souta's at school so that must be your grandfather. Better not let him know your plans, he'll want to investigate before you're allowed to leave." Kagome said nothing as the kettle whistled.

A short while later, Kagome returned to her room and sat on her still messy bed, looking to her nightstand where her phone sat on top of the scrap of paper Inu-Yasha had given her the night before. It was still rather early, almost 11:00, but she figured that giving him a call now wouldn't hurt. Slowly, she picked the phone up and had another attack of butterflies that swarmed in her stomach. She took a deep breath and began dialing the number. Pressing the send button, she held the phone up to her ear. Each ring was more nerve wracking than the previous, 'Why isn't he picking up?'

"_I'm a heavy sleeper…"_

Once she got his voice mail, she remembered his advice and called again. This time, the phone only rang twice before it was picked up.

"Yeah?" A voice answered in a groggy tone.

"Inu-Yasha? It's me, Kagome." She heard him clear his throat at the introduction.

"Oh, hey Kagome."

"Hi, so uh, what's going on for today?" Kagome looked out the window to the back yard, focusing her eyes on her grandfather who was busy sweeping the walk way of the shrine.

"Give me like, 20 minutes then head over, I'll be at the gate when you get there."

"Sounds good, see you then." Hanging up the phone, Kagome looked at the time before she stashed the electronic into a small bag she had left on her desk. Now all she had to do was keep her nerve for the next 20 minutes and she'd be on her way.

X

Taking a deep and straightened her hair out once again, Kagome walked towards the gate. She could see a figure standing outside the closed iron structure which was undoubtedly Inu-Yasha waiting for her. Her stomach once again felt queasy as her nerves were struck; what on earth could he possibly need to speak to her about so urgently?

Once Kagome could make out his facial details, she raised her right hand up and waved to him getting a chaste wave in response. Inu-Yasha turned his back to her and pressed a few buttons on the iron gate panel at the side he was leaning on. It swung open and he waited for her to walk in before pushing a few more buttons on the inside control panel and the gate swung closed.

"Good morning." Kagome greeted once they were face to face.

"Morning." Inu-Yasha mumbled as he stretched his arms over his head.

"You look like you're not totally awake yet."

"You're right." After his arms returned to his side, the two began walking down the side walk, Kagome's eyes traveling to the grandiose homes that lined the path. They were huge, most with fancy looking cars in the driveway and large yards. She kept a close eye on Inu-Yasha, waiting to see which gorgeous home was his. She was not disappointed when he turned into a drive way of a huge house that was something she'd only fantasized about.

"This one." He said pointing up to it.

"This is amazing…" The home had to be at least a few floors tall with large windows which sparkled in the morning sun. The detailing of the home still presented a Japanese traditional flare which gave the home an odd presence yet made it fit into the area more.

"You wanna come inside or just stare at the outside all day?" Inu-Yasha asked impatiently as he opened the front door.

"S-sorry." Kagome scurried up the driveway and to the front door that Inu-Yasha had already walked through. She closed the door behind her, making sure to take her sandals off, and gaped at the amazing structure she was standing in. In front of her was a large staircase that led up to at least two more floors, a beautiful chandelier suspended above them and gleaming with the sun light trickling in. Inu-Yasha had moved down the hall way that had one side made of glass and the other normal wall; the glass side looking out to a court yard of trees and a koi pond. Kagome's eyes were also drawn to a cute bench that sat off to one side of the small enclosure and thought about how relaxing sitting in that space must be.

Following Inu-Yasha, she walked into a large kitchen that was stocked full of stainless steel appliances and marble counter tops, one side of the counters sticking out into the room. On the other side of the jutting counter was a fine looking table that presented itself as the dining room, a lighting fixture that was much smaller but very similar in design to the one hanging in the stair well dangling above the table.

"I can't believe you live here." Kagome said in absolute awe. Inu-Yasha had taken an apple from a basket on the counter top and leaned on it as he took a bite.

"It's way too fancy for me. Sesshomaru picked it out. I like something smaller, you need a compass just to find your way to the bathroom here." Taking another bite of the apple, he pushed the basket to the edge of the counter and pointed from Kagome to the fruit.

"I'm okay, thanks." He shrugged while putting more fruit in his mouth and slid the basket back to its resting place and got back on his feet.

"Might as well give you a tour while you're here." Inu-Yasha said with his mouth full. He moved back the way he came and pointed to the room inside the glass enclosure. "That's the green room, it's probably the best place in the house, there's no roof over that part so we don't waste time watering it." He continued down the hall until they were back at the front entrance. He pointed to a room that was to the right, enclosed behind glass doors. "That's the asshole's lair that he never comes out of when he's actually home. I like to laugh at him though because there's a big tree right in front of the window his desk looks out to."

He went into the room that was to the left as that Kagome had somehow not noticed upon entering. "This is our living room, Sesshomaru picked out the shittiest furniture, it's not comfortable at all."

"It's all leather though, usually those couches are the most comfortable."

"Not for my tastes."

'What is your taste then?' Kagome couldn't help think to herself as she continued to follow the half demon through the house. On a wall behind the couches, a fire place sat and looked quite unused. Above the mantle were two swords that were crossed into an X; one with a brilliant blue handle and another one that seemed much more worn than the other. The hilt of the tattered sword was dented badly and the scabbard was worn and scratched. The other sword that was under the seemingly older one looked barely touched.

'I wonder why the other one isn't as used…' Kagome thought. It was a little walk through the room until they reached a smaller (although still large) room that held a pool table and a full bar which most definitely served as a party room.

"If Sesshomaru wasn't a bastard he'd have friends and be able to use this room." Inu-Yasha smirked to himself. Kagome heard the sound of him biting into the apple again as he moved forward to the sliding glass doors and slid it open to the backyard. Kagome walked past the wall the bar was located on, realizing she was back in the dining room. She continued walking out onto the perfectly green grass and gaped as she looked up the cobblestone walk way that lead to a cement pool surface. "This is pretty much it. Our pool, which no one ever uses."

"This can't be a pool for a house, it's too amazing." The pool was an odd shape and built into the side of the hill that was behind it. Along one side was a fake rock wall with waterfalls cascading down into the pool below it, something she'd only seen in magazines and on tv. "This whole house is amazing."

"Yeah I guess, upstairs is really only mine and Sesshomaru's bedrooms along with a million other rooms that are useless but I guess it does the trick." Inu-Yasha finished his apple while leading Kagome back into the house and shut the door.

"I never dreamed that this was what they were building when I was in high school."

"Well, you're lucky you're seeing it at all." He tossed the core in a trash can that was under the sink.

"Why do you say that?"

"This is a gated community for demons, most humans don't even get to see past the gate." He turned his back on her and once again led her down the hall way to the front of the house. Upon the walk through the hallway, Kagome looked up to the wall opposite the glass one and up to a large picture frame in the middle of the rather plain space. A tall man stood in the middle of two smaller boys, all three of them sporting silky silver hair and golden amber eyes. The tallest man wore his locks in a high pony tail, long shaggy bangs framing his large smile and warm eyes. His cheeks were colored with light indigo stripes that pronounced the shape of his face. The boy to the left came up a little shorter than the tallest's shoulders, his own hair left down and flowing. Two pink stripes ran parallel down both his cheeks and a crescent moon peeked through parted white bangs, his face rather expressionless. Looking to the smallest boy on the right, Kagome felt fondness grow in her chest as her eyes traced his innocent face. His eyes were much larger than the other two and two fuzzy dog ears sat at the crown of his head. While he didn't have stripes on his cheeks like the others, she could see the slight smirk that played on the boy's lips. Inu-Yasha had noticed her staring at the picture cleared his throat.

"That's the old man, Sesshomaru, and me."

"Your Dad seems to be an impressive man."

"He was a good guy."

"Oh right, I forgot. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, people die." Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"You have his face, but you don't have his eyes. I guess you have your mother's." Kagome stated walking over to him.

"Keh," He looked away, a slight pink touching his cheeks. "Anyway, I called you over here to talk." He escorted her back to the living room with the "shitty" leather couches. Kagome sat down and smiled, the comfort instantly drawing her in.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" Kagome's voice held together much better than she was internally. She was actually more nervous for this than she had ever been for anything before.

"This isn't going to be easy to say." Inu-Yasha wasn't looking at her. "But I have to tell you something about Kaede's shop. It's in danger."

"How so?" Kagome sat forward, obviously concerned.

"It's Sesshomaru, he's the reason that the entire block is wiped out and he wants Kaede's shop gone." Inu-Yasha closed his eyes for a minute. "And when Sesshomaru wants something, he doesn't stop until he gets it."

"Well, he's going to have to stop this time because we're not going to just hand the store over, not after all the work we've put in."

"Kagome, listen to me." Inu-Yasha sat forward and put his hands on her knees to look her square in the eye. "Sesshomaru isn't above dirty tricks. I'm telling you now so you don't end up in the way of him."

"You can't be serious." Kagome's mind suddenly snapped back to the letter that was taped to the door at Kaede's while they were rebuilding. "That letter…"

"What letter?" Inu-Yasha cocked an eyebrow while retracting his hands back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"C.E.O. CR. C.E.O. of Coffee Run! Sesshomaru put that letter there!" Recalling the signature at the bottom of the paper, she could have sworn it read Sesshomaru.

"When he sets out to do something, he'll do it. But he told me to give you a warning."

"So that's it? You're just going to let him do this!?" Kagome stood up with her fists balled at her sides.

"I tried to tell him to forget it, he won't listen. Don't get mad at me over it!" Inu-Yasha stood up as well and glared at her.

"Yeah, you're sure putting up a great fight for us. What did you say "oh no, don't do that?" Do you know what that shop means to Kaede? It's everything! You can't let him do this!"

"Kagome I'm trying not to, but he won't listen! What the fuck are you not getting about that?!" Kagome stared him down for the longest time before turning on her heel towards the door.

"I'm leaving." She walked over to the door and slipped her shoes on, slamming the door shut behind her. The picture she had spent so much time looking at slammed against the wall with the action. Inu-Yasha watched her out of one of the large front windows and hit a button on the control panel by the intercom at the door. The iron gate swung open at the end of the street and closed after the stomping woman. Inu-Yasha smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Fuck."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ** I profusely apologize for the wait on this chapter. My summer course drew to a close this past week and I was studying and doing 3 hours of homework daily for it. Without further a due…

A friend in words,  
-KB

* * *

**Retail Therapy**  
Chapter seven

Kagome had done all of her work in record time and with such a pace that it had Kaede's head spinning. She watched the young woman dance around the already spotless shop while she cleaned and straightened every shelf and product, looking at Kagome's peculiar expression of anger and slight determination.

"Kagome, perhaps you should take a minute to relax. I've never seen you work like this."

"I'm just trying to make everything perfect, Kaede." She said with a hint of accomplishment in her voice as a woman walked in followed by two business men. The re-opening of the store had brought in quite a few people who were talking about how beautiful the store looked and how neatly everything was placed. Kagome's suggestion of more electronic items being offered brought even some teenagers in and Kaede's face beamed each time they did. Kagome turned to the coffee pots, spotting one empty one and grabbed some coffee for the machine from the cabinets that the makers rested on. While she changed out everything, she looked to the woman pouring her coffee and smiled. "Good morning!"

"Oh, good morning." The woman smiled back at her quaintly before looking back at her coffee. "This is nice, I've been going to Coffee Run recently but there are so many people in the store now, it gets uncomfortable and impossible to just grab your coffee and go. It's nice to be in a quiet shop with people who actually greet you." Kagome's smile turned around when she heard Coffee Run and her stomach bubbled in anger and nervousness as she thought of Inu-Yasha. The rest of the day yesterday she had spent mumbling to herself in her room and the living room of her home. Her mother and grandfather had stared at her curiously but she never elaborated on what the problem was.

'He's such a jerk. And I hope he told his brother to shove it where the sun don't shine.'

X

"Look, I told her and hey, surprise, she didn't take it well." Inu-Yasha was seated at the desk that his brother normally resided at, his feet kicked up on the wooden structure. He held a phone up to his mouth, his sensitive ears picking up the voice on the other line quite clearly despite the distance he held it at.

"Then perhaps you really can't do anything yourself and you need to try again."

"She's already pissed at me, she won't talk to me as it is." There was a low tone to his voice.

"Go after her and make her give you an answer and make sure it's the right one."

"Listen to me, bastard," Inu-Yasha's fist that did not hold his cell phone balled up at his side. "She stormed out of the house and basically said that you can go fuck yourself and Kaede's not leaving."

"I see." Although there would normally be a sense of finality to that statement, Inu-Yasha could tell there would be more. "Well, when I get home, I will be forced to do something myself. You had your chance, little brother. It's your own fault you didn't take advantage of it." The line clicked silent and Inu-Yasha sat up, throwing his phone clear across the room.

"Fucking asshole." He hissed as his balled fist made contact with the shiny surface below him, a small crack forming beneath his hand. Amber eyes slowly looked from his hand to the phone that sat face up on the floor by the door. He got up and walked over to the object, and picked it up in his aching hand, scrolling through his recent calls. Inu-Yasha resumed the position he previously held, his eye brows draw together as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer. He got the first syllables of a voice mail and dialed again immediately, gaining the same greeting he had the last time. Redialing yet again, he was still greeted by the voice mail greeting and he grumbled under his breath while looking to the control panel of buttons on Sesshomaru's desk. He pushed one and waited.

"_Can I help you, sir?_" A woman's voice broke through the silence from the intercom in the office.

"Tell everyone on the floor I'm leaving."

"_Okay. See you in the morning._" The office went silent again as Inu-Yasha got up and walked out the door and down the stairs. If Kagome wouldn't answer her phone, he'd just have to go to her in person.

X

Kagome was furious upon Inu-Yasha's arrival. How dare he show up there after what happened the previous day! 'He really is the most idiotic person I know!' She thought to herself as she avoided him in the back stock room.

"Kagome, come out of there!" Inu-Yasha spat at her with frustration evident in his voice.

"No." She answered and stuck her tongue out even though she wasn't in eye shot of the irritated hanyou. Kagome could hear Inu-Yasha sigh before hearing footsteps around the store. Kaede came into the back room and stared at the girl.

"Kagome, please just talk to the child. His temper is scaring away all the customers that we finally have." The old woman sighed. "What on earth could he have done to make you react like this?" Kagome had a few flash backs to Inu-Yasha's warning and for the nth time that day she considered telling Kaede about it. Once again, she bit her tongue.

"It's not important. He's just a jerk." She said with the most spite she could muster.

"Well, until you two figure this out, I think you should go home."

"What?"

"Inu-Yasha has informed me that he does not intend to leave until he at least gets to talk to you." Kagome's blue-grey eyes flew open before her eyebrows came down hard on top of them.

"So you're sending me home?"

"Yes." Kagome felt anger boil up in her stomach and into her throat but she managed to swallow it down.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow night." She slipped out of her apron and tossed it on the counter, weaving her way in and out of customers in the shop. She pushed the door open with her hands, rather forcefully, and stomped down the block towards the café that Sango worked at. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she heard heavy foot steps behind her. "Stop following me Inu-Yasha. I'm not going to talk to you."

"And why the fuck not?"

"Because let me guess," Kagome turned around on her heel, Inu-Yasha almost crashing into her. "You just want to tell me about how your brother is mad and he wants to do something about it and you're just going to sit here and deliver messages for him rather than do something. That about it?"

"…I-" There was a slight tinge of pink that dusted the silver-haired man's cheeks, his words lost on his lips.

"Okay, talk over. You can go now, Inu-Yasha." Kagome turned back around and resumed her stomp-walk towards the café.

"Kagome, will you just wait a second!?" He received no answer and Kagome turned to the heavy glass door to the left of her and threw it open with surprising force. Sango spotted her from behind the counter, an eyebrow cocked to her actions. Inu-Yasha tore into the café right after her, spewing a stream of curses at her back as she sat right in front of Sango at the bar seat.

"Kagome… What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, just a little hungry after being kicked out of work." She laughed at the counter, ignoring the volume the half demon behind her was gaining.

"Kagome the least you can do is listen to me!"

"You got kicked out of work?" Sango stared at her wide eyed.

"I took the day off so I can expla-"

"Yup, Kaede sent me home!" Sango didn't move for a coffee cup to prepare Kagome's drink and just continued to stare at her.

"Any particular reason?"

"Well it all started yesterday-"

"And another thing, Kagome-"

"Oh gods, will you shut up? You're making a huge spectacle of yourself." Sango stared Inu-Yasha down, the man once again gaining color in his cheeks. "Maybe we should talk later. You seem like you could just use some cooling down time. And you're scaring my customers." Sure enough when Kagome looked around, customers looked up from their sandwiches and coffee and she suddenly felt hot embarrassment caress her stomach.

"Oh… Right. Um, sorry. I guess I'll call you later." Hiding her face, Kagome got off her bar stool seat and walked towards the door, ashamed of the childlike behavior she had just acted upon. Hearing footsteps behind her again, she groaned with her fists clenched at her sides. "Inu-Yasha. Leave me alone."

"All I want to do is talk to you!"

"And all I want you to do is leave me alone!" She snapped at him. He stared at her for a long time, his lips parting and unparting with the two words that threatened to spill from them any second…

"…I'm sorry." Kagome's eyebrows flew up. "I'm sorry I pissed you off yesterday and I didn't do anything to make Sesshomaru fuck off, okay?" The half demon's cheeks were flushed darker than Kagome had ever seen, his golden eyes averted across the street.

"Inu-Yasha…"

"Lemme make it up to you." His gaze still did not meet hers. "Come over tonight, okay?" Kagome felt the heat in her stomach being replaced by flutters instead.

"Um. Yeah, okay." She said not entirely sure of how to react to the sudden offer.

"Bring whatever you want, movies or whatever. You can bring your bathing suit if you want too. It's about time someone used that pool. Just let me explain some stuff." Finally, Inu-Yasha's eyes found their way back to Kagome's, as she smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

"Just send me a message when you're coming." Inu-Yasha walked down the sidewalk away from her, Kagome moving in a split second to fly back into the café.

"Well I don't see your shadow coming this time." Sango said with a look of annoyance plastered on her face.

"I'm sorry, Sango. I was just so angry."

"And what made you cool down in the last three minutes?" She asked leaning forward onto her forearms towards Kagome. Kagome once again took a seat on the bar stool she previously occupied and rested her arms on the counter top.

"I got invited over to Inu-Yasha's after he apologized for yesterday."

"And when did he make you mad yesterday?"

"When I was at his house…" Kagome felt Sango's gaze and looked up to meet it. Her eyebrow was raised.

"Two days in a row at his house? So there is something more than just thinking he's cute isn't there?"

"He just wanted to talk to me yesterday, I swear!"

"And now you're all floaty because he asked you over again."

"Sango, I am not!" Kagome groaned as Sango's expression turned to one of the utmost amusement.

"So you don't feel anything for him at all?"

"I…" She couldn't even lie. "Maybe I have a little crush on him. It doesn't mean anything." Sango giggled a bit and clapped her hands together a few times.

"Of course not! So, what'll it be? The usual?"

X

Kagome sighed heavily as she walked down the sidewalk towards the large metal gate that she was becoming quite familiar with. Despite the ill feelings that she had sustained towards Inu-Yasha that morning, she felt that anger that bubbled painfully replaced but the familiar feeling of flittering nervousness; one she regretted bringing up to Sango during their talk the during the afternoon. Once Sango passed through her mind, her phone buzzed in her shorts pocket to which she reached in and pulled the offending object out. The screen lit up with the message that Sango had sent her, the cheery type heating her cheeks. "_Good luck with your boyfriend tonight!"_ She teased to which Kagome immediately responded, "he's definitely not my boyfriend." Stuffing the object back into her pocket, Kagome focused her attentions on the gate which was almost in reach. Inu-Yasha did not wait at the gate this time as he had on her previous visit and looked at the intercom system that Inu-Yasha usually used to unlock the gate. Realizing she hadn't the slightest idea of Inu-Yasha's house number, she pulled her phone out and scrolled through to his number. Pressing the green button, she placed the phone to her ear listening to the wait tone with increasing anxiety. No sooner had the voicemail began did the gate start making metallic squeals as it swung open and allowed her in. Inu-Yasha had to have been watching her as the gate closed soundly behind her.

She turned into the driveway and walked up to the front door, knocking on it meekly and hardly waited before the door opened and Inu-Yasha stood.

"Hey there." She passed with little knowledge of what else to say as a greeting.

"Hey." Inu-Yasha stepped aside to allow her to come in, walking down the hallway and towards the kitchen. She kicked her sandals off with her feet before stepping up on the raised hardwood floor and followed Inu-Yasha wordlessly. He was sitting at the dining room table that overlooked the pool area, the tabletop adorned with food in a simple display.

"You made us dinner?" Kagome said eyeing up the spread before pulling out her chair and sitting down.

"It's nothing special but you did make me feel like an ass so I figured I should do something. Plus talking sucks when you don't have anything else to do." Inu-Yasha looked past Kagome, seemingly not wanting to look at her fully.

"I'm sorry," Kagome sighed. "But I said I'd let you talk so now I'm here." The half demon across from her moved to serve the two of them and when both had plates full, Inu-Yasha started.

"Sesshomaru's always been ridiculous about business ever since I can remember. He's used to being in power of things and this place is no different. Do you remember the store that used to be where my store is now? It was called The Coffee Stop or something like that."

"Oh yeah," Kagome had her chopsticks to her lips in thought. "I remember that place. It closed when I was still in high school and then it reopened as Coffee Run."

"Right. Well believe it or not, Sesshomaru didn't own that first store. Miroku's Dad did when he was younger. A few years back, Miroku's Dad died and through some legal loopholes or whatever, Sesshomaru was able to swoop in and take the store away from Miroku without so much as asking him permission. Before Miroku had even gotten to me to tell me what happened, Sesshomaru had already gotten the franchise rights going and had already changed all of the documents and titles in his name. Miroku was pissed and he still is."

"I had no idea. I know Miroku lost his father because I knew him through Sango, but he never spoke about this to anyone. I wonder if even Sango knows anything." At this point, both Kagome and Inu-Yasha were distracted by their conversation and taking little to no part in their food. Inu-Yasha merely shrugged.

"It's a real sore spot with him for obvious reasons. He barely talks about it with me and we've been paling around for as long as I can remember." Shoving some food into his mouth, he continued. "Not to mention he hasn't been over here since, he says that if it came down to meeting Sesshomaru face to face, he wouldn't be sure he could 'keep his dignity' or something."

Kagome always considered Miroku to be a very levelheaded person and could hear the words Inu-Yasha had said coming from him. It actually bothered her.

"Meanwhile, I've been at this store trying to get Sesshomaru out of there and Miroku back in. Sesshomaru's not budging and Miroku's too passive to get involved so I don't know what else people want me to do. I just know Sesshomaru stops at nothing when he has his eyes set on something, which looks like your shop now."

"But Kaede will be fine," Kagome insisted. "I'm sure of it." Inu-Yasha sighed and the two regained some silence. Kagome felt the tension as she buried her concentration in her food until her plate was mostly empty. When she felt that she could no longer hide, her blue eyes slowly slid upwards, catching Inu-Yasha's gaze for a split second before he threw his thumb over his shoulder towards the back door.

"When you're done, go get changed. I'm serious, you better have brought your bathing suit." Kagome's cheeks flushed.

"I-I did."

"Okay, good. Now I can stop feeling like it's a waste of money." Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, Kagome swore she could still feel them on her. "You want anymore?"

"No, I'm full thanks. It was a really good dinner."

"Nothing special." He said once again while standing up to clear the table. "There's an empty guest room up the stairs on the third floor and three doors down on the left. There's a bathroom in it so you should be set." Inu-Yasha's silver hair trailed after him on his journey to the kitchen as Kagome nodded and walked to the main front area. She grabbed her bag which she had left by her shoes and began walking up the stairs, taking time to notice the view of the beautiful sunset outside of the large windows behind her. Upon reaching the floor, she began walking down the open hallway, her view of the colored sky never obstructed.

The first door on the left was closed as she walked by and a little distance away was another door which was left open. Unable to resist the urge to peek into the room, she gave in, and was greeted with the sight of what she could have sworn was a bedroom in a castle. It wasn't until she saw the outfit that Inu-Yasha wore the day before did she realize she was looking at his room. Suddenly, the room was more intriguing.

Kagome took a step inside very slowly, sliding the light switch up to allow the track lighting to come to life. His bed was unmade, the crimson sheets tied in knots towards the foot of the king sized mattress. Considering the size of the room, it was quite bare other than the clothes littering the floor. Dark curtains lined the far wall which she assumed was yet another wall made of windows. The cream colored walls invited her in with what felt like comfort which was accented by the scent of Inu-Yasha that she hadn't noticed she recognized until then. It smelled faintly of a certain cologne she didn't know the name of and something else... The same smell that occurred when he tossed his silver tresses over his shoulder to walk away from her, a smell that she was growing fonder of by the day...

"You can't count to three?" Kagome squeaked from the suddenly gruff voice behind her and spun around, her heart slamming in her chest.

"No, I just got distracted because I saw the open door!" Inu-Yasha shook his head at her argument as she tried defend her actions but did so with the slightest of smirks.

"Next room over," he said pointing down the hall. Kagome hurried out, hiding her eyes from his in her long bangs and ran into the room next door to his. She quickly shut the door behind her and heard him do the same shortly afterwards.

X

The air was still warm as Kagome made her way into the back yard and to the edge of the rippling surface of the pool's edge. She left her bag by the pool side, her cell phone ringer on loud just in case her mother were to call her. Dipping her toes in, she was quite pleasantly surprised to find the water was incredibly warm, no doubt a heated pool. Sitting down, she pushed herself off the concrete and into the water, happy to swim over to the opposite side of the pool and look at the color of the sky. Brilliant pinks, reds, and oranges painted in long wispy strokes, blending into each other the farther she looked. Kagome could honestly say this was one of the most relaxing places ever.

Hearing the door to the house slide open, she looked to where Inu-Yasha stood holding some towels. He made his way over to the same point she had and dropped the towels next to her belongings before jumping in to the shallow end across from where she was, back to the sunset.

"Hopefully it's warm enough, I tampered with the thing before you got here but like I said I never used it."

"It's perfect! If I had one of these, I'd practically live in it!" Kagome pushed herself towards the deep end a bit more and under one of the water fall filters. She began to tread water as she pushed her hair back from her face with a contented sigh. Her blue eyes once again traveled to Inu-Yasha and watched pointedly as his hair floated beautifully across the water's surface. Slowly, her eyes looked to his torso which was cut in lean muscle that made her stomach do a flip before she had to look away. This just wasn't fair.

The sun had finally snuck beneath the mountains and a few walkway lights turned on as well as a light in the center of the pool floor, illuminating the rather dark waters. The waterfall just in front of Kagome was changing to different vibrant colors after a few seconds, increasing the sereneness of the whole scene.

"I can't believe you and Sesshomaru never use this, it's beautiful."

"We're too busy half the time. I'm usually always at work and he's always either locked in his office at the store or he's locked in the study until really late at night."

"Well, you're using it now, I guess that's what matters." Kagome inhaled before disappearing beneath the water, the warmness reaching her face and through her hair. She felt herself knock into Inu-Yasha and surfaced quickly, rubbing the water from her eyes. "Sorry!"

"Not like you could knock me over, it's fine."

"I could knock you over if I really wanted to." Kagome stood up straight with her hands on her hips. Inu-Yasha was suddenly very focused on her head.

"I bet you couldn't."

"And I bet I could." At her challenge, Inu-Yasha smirked, a fang poking over his bottom lip.

"Then do it." He prompted and splashed her with a wall of water to which she dove forward after him. He was evading her easily despite her attempts to dive at him, and even let out a few laughs at her expense while she huffed and puffed trying to regain her breath.

"I have you this time!" She yelled before diving towards him and clinging on, however his footing was solid and he stood his ground.

"You got me but not in the water." He managed to slip out of her grip, swimming over to the deep end. Kagome dove underwater but kept her eyes open this time, watching Inu-Yasha's legs kicking in front of her. He began to move away from her and towards the water fall where she would have to surface, but seeing this, Kagome poked her head out of the water before kicking her legs as hard as she could. She managed to get enough force behind her to land herself on Inu-Yasha's back and drag him under with her, a triumphant smile plastered on her face as they both resurfaced. Inu-Yasha shook his wet hair from his face and glared at her. "Now you're in for it." Inu-Yasha lunged back at her, earning a shriek and laughter from Kagome as she swam around the pool attempting to get out of his reach. It took Inu-Yasha substantially less time to trap the girl by the waterfall as he propelled himself forward with hands outreached. He managed to grab Kagome by her waist and gently pulled her under the water before allowing her to resurface. She wiped the water from her eyes and sighed in exhaustion. The sky was no longer full of color and the two had been chasing after each other for quite some time. Attempting to move back towards the shallow end and away from the waterfall, Kagome noticed she was still being held and looked down to the water then back up to Inu-Yasha.

Before she could completely register her thoughts as well as his intentions, his lips found his way to hers as her heart began to pound. A million things ran through her mind in the matter of an instant and before she could think of any of the negative, her lips began following his lead, her hands moving cautiously to his shoulders. When the two broke apart, all contact ceased from the both of them, Inu-Yasha's face stained so darkly that Kagome would have been able to see it had it just been star light. Snapping her out of her daze was her phone, ringing quite loudly even over the sound of the waterfall that she had just forgotten existed for a few moments.

Kagome swam over to the pool's edge and grabbed her phone, pushing the accept button and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Kagome, I need you to come down here quickly, please!"

"Kaede what's wrong!?"

"There's been a break in, please Kagome, hurry!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Retail Therapy  
**Chapter eight

Heavy footsteps echoed off of empty buildings as the duo rounded corner after corner, quickly approaching the bright flashing lights coming from the familiar location. Kagome's breath fell heavily off her lips as her wet hair stuck to her face and her legs burned with each step. Inu-Yasha was following close behind her, not struggling to run as much as the human woman next to him, and squinted in the sudden bright assault on his eyes. Kagome turned the final corner and stopped herself, panting quite loudly and gaping at the shattered doors in front of her. Kaede stood in the middle of the store, the store they had just rebuilt together, with tears streaming down her wrinkled face. She cradled her right hand which was dripping a bit of blood as she moved to another police officer who was once again attempting to get her out of the devastation that was once a newly beautiful store.

"K-Kaede, what…?" Kagome looked around slowly at her surroundings; a wave of disbelief of the surreal experience washing over her in that moment. The elderly woman did not answer, just merely stared blankly at the officer who was telling her things, tears continuing down her face. Kagome took a step over the shattered and jagged glass in the door frame that still stuck upward and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her horror at the scene laid out in front of her.

The aisle shelving had been pushed to the floor and torched, the embers still red hot on the floor. Whatever product had not been burned sat destroyed on the tiles that were cluttered with broken glass and smoke stains. All of the bottles from the coolers had been opened and drained, the light bulbs and glass doors had been shattered beyond repair. Kagome's eyes turned to the coffee cabinet, hardly being able to look at the broken coffee pots and machines and then turned back to see Inu-Yasha's expressionless face and Kaede approaching her slowly.

"I tried to chase them away. The smoke was too thick and I had to run back upstairs, I couldn't breathe." Kaede was being prompted back outside by the police officer who was referring to her hand. She looked at Kagome with empty eyes that broke her heart before the elder followed the officer over to a waiting ambulance. Inu-Yasha stepped up to Kagome whose blue eyes were obscured by unshed tears.

"Why would someone do this?" She whispered only loud enough for herself and the super-sensitive hanyou to hear. Inu-Yasha didn't say anything but held a hand, a long strand of silver hair entwined around his clawed fingers that gave off an eerie glow in the flashing lights.

"I told you, he won't stop." Kagome's eyes flew open, she looked from his hand to his face which possessed a more serious expression than she had seen any time before. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach that dropped her knees out from under her; Inu-Yasha catching her before she landed on the dangerous floor. Kagome crashed her head to Inu-Yasha's chest and inhaled painfully as the tears fell over her cheeks.

"Oh god, this is my fault…" The realization sent her spinning into uncontrollable sobs. Inu-Yasha's fist balled behind her back.

X

After dropping Kagome off at her house and making sure that her mother had a hold of her, Inu-Yasha turned his attention back to the direction he had just come from. Picking up his speed, he darted towards the one place he knew he had to be at, barely watching his surroundings pass him by. He stopped at the stairs of his store, climbing them and whipping his keys out and into the door. He walked in and locked the door behind him, his footsteps echoing loudly on the tiled floors. Golden eyes scanned the store and up to the lit office, Inu-Yasha's movements suddenly much more justified as he darted over to the stairs and took them two at a time before bursting through the door.

"What did you do!?" Inu-Yasha snarled. Sesshomaru looked lazily over his reading glasses then back to his paperwork.

"If you must know, I'm looking over the numbers of benefit towards keeping this franchise open 24 hours."

"That's not what I mean and you damn well know it." Inu-Yasha stomped over to his brother's desk and slammed his hands on the top of it. "What the fuck did you do."

"Inu-Yasha, we've been over this." Sesshomaru didn't even dignify his younger brother with eye contact. "I gave you your options and you chose them of your own accord. There's nothing more that needs to be explained."

"The police are investigating."

"Let them. There's no problem getting out of anything." Sesshomaru's nonchalant demeanor was boiling Inu-Yasha's blood quickly, his hand twitching on top of the desk.

"You could have left them alone. It would have been fine."

"Not an option. They're the last competition in town and sales have been down."

"Who cares about the fucking sales!?" Inu-Yasha had leapt over the desk and had Sesshomaru's shirt front balled in his fists. Sesshomaru looked dangerously towards the half demon in front of him, the younger's eyes narrowing.

"Let go."

"You bastard! You couldn't just let them be!"

"I'm warning you, little brother."

"Just for once you couldn't lay off!"

"You impudent half breed-"

"You didn't see Kagome's face! She was fucking crushed!" There was a moment of silence between the two brothers. They glared into each other's matching amber eyes before Sesshomaru shot up from his seat, punching Inu-Yasha in the face and sending him flying back over the desk and onto the carpeted floor. His hand traveled to his jaw which ached with the contact it had just received and noticed the dark shadow that loomed over him. He looked up to his older brother who towered over him, his golden eyes narrowed towards him.

"It's about that human girl."

"Not totally." Inu-Yasha's eyes shot to the side. Sesshomaru bent down to try to get Inu-Yasha's eye contact back and smirked when he couldn't.

"I see." Sesshomaru punched Inu-Yasha harder than before, Inu-Yasha falling back onto his back momentarily but sat up quickly, blood dripping down from his nose. "Haven't you learned that you should stay away from humans? There's a reason why we live separate lives."

"You live separate lives from them. You and all the rest."

"And you're the one who got your friends hurt." Sesshomaru stood back up and sat at his desk. "Which one of us is truly wrong here?"

"You fucking bastard…" Inu-Yasha's teeth clenched.

"I'm done with you now, Inu-Yasha. " The younger male had already made his way to the door and had swung it open. "I'd just be careful, my next target may have to be that human girl if you don't watch your tongue."

"Lay a finger on her and I'll fucking slaughter you." He snapped before slamming the door and rushing down the stairs. Sesshomaru smiled at the closed door.

"Half breeds are such peculiar things."

X

Kagome had been lying face down in her bed for hours, the batteries had also been removed from her alarm clock, the constant ticking driving what little sanity she had left further away. Her sobs had long since stopped and she was left with an empty feeling in her stomach and a face that was tight with tear stains. Her long nightshirt felt constricting and her thoughts kept her awake when her heavy eyes would fall closed… God she wished someone had stayed awake.

Kagome's family had all turned in shortly after they all asked if she was okay and she nodded but she didn't have anyone to talk to and that bothered her. But even if they had, what could she possibly talk about? She couldn't in her right mind tell her family that she indirectly knew exactly who had destroyed the store. If Sesshomaru had gone that far to get rid of the store, what would happen if Kagome went to the authorities? Would he hurt her too? Her thoughts turned to her cell phone, would Inu-Yasha still be awake? He might be willing to talk to her, he couldn't be getting much more sleep…

A tap from the window startled her enough to jolt her body up, her azure eyes traveling to the large window by her bed. Kagome gasped before getting up to slide the window aside, offering a hand to the person sitting in the tree outside her window.

"What're you doing here? What happened to your face?" Kagome asked Inu-Yasha as he jumped down from her window sill, his face stilled bloodied and bruised from Sesshomaru's strikes.

"Don't worry about me." He cleared his throat and took a seat in her desk chair. "How're you holding up?"

"I could be better." Kagome didn't even waste time lying to him.

"You still reek of tears." He said wiping away the blood from his upper lip.

"Yeah well, I've been crying for a while." She walked out the door of her room and to the bathroom where she gathered a wet towel for Inu-Yasha. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she handed him the dark towel as encouragement to clean up his face. "This was all my fault."

"No it wasn't, don't even start saying it was." Inu-Yasha said gruffly while patting at his since dried up nose. His jaw was still quite sore and bruised and talking was quite a reminder of it.

"Did you see Sesshomaru? Is that why you're like that?" Kagome looked him dead on while asking and it made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, yeah."

"And he definitely was the one who did it?"

"Who else would it be? Even though he burnt everything and his scent is covered he left evidence everywhere. He'll get caught."

"I'm… Thinking about going to the authorities and telling them what I know." There was a heaviness in between the both of them and the room was suddenly entirely too warm for the half demon. "Does that mean it's a bad idea?" She inquired on nothing more but a whisper.

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth and closed it quickly, his brother's words still freshly biting into his thoughts. Sesshomaru had proved already that he really wasn't afraid to get his own hands dirty, but would he really go after Kagome like he had said? He couldn't be sure, but he didn't want Kagome to suffer if he chose the wrong thing to say.

"I think it's better to let the cops do the investigating."

"But what do I do when they question me? I can't lie."

"Kagome, you're going to have to."

"But why!?"

"Because."

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome regained her hushed tone, finally more aware that her sleeping family was within the vicinity. "What do you know that I don't?"

"I…" He hushed himself again and sighed. "I'm just trying to protect you."

"So he'll come after me." She passed this as a statement rather than a question once she understood. "I need some time to think this over. I have to do something, I already let Kaede down so much."

"Well, do what you have to do, I guess." Inu-Yasha walked back over to the window and opened it again, swinging his legs out as he sat on the sill. He looked back at her, his golden eyes shining in the moon light. "Just let me know if you plan on getting in trouble. I want to at least have a heads up." He pushed himself down from the window and Kagome flew to look out. She watched him land gracefully on his feet and exhaled slowly, still surprised by subtle things about him. After a few moments she realized he had taken the washcloth she had given him with him and just decided to let it go for the moment. Kagome had other things on her mind. A thought had just streaked through her mind like a bolt of lightning through the clouds.

Kagome lunged for her phone on the nightstand and hit the quick dial button, placing the phone to her ear. She paced around her room while listening to the wait tone on the other end, silently begging for someone to pick up. Finally, she was rewarded for her waiting.

"_H-Hello…?"_

"Sango, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"_Kagome's it's two in the morning, of course you did._" Sango's voice was quite irritated but Kagome didn't let it bother her.

"Sango, I need to come over tomorrow."

"_But I have work early._"

"This is really important. Is there any way that you can call out tomorrow?"

"_What's wrong?_" Sango was suddenly very awake and attentive to the phone call and Kagome could tell she must have at least sat up in bed.

"I'll explain everything tomorrow. Please make sure that Miroku is there too."

"_Kagome, I'm not going to be able to sleep if you don't tell me what's wrong or at least that everything's okay."_

"Everything's really not okay, but I'm fine. I just want to talk to you and Miroku tomorrow. Please?" Sango exhaled and mumbled something to herself but gave in.

"_Okay fine. Just give me a heads up as to when you're coming over tomorrow."_

"Thank you Sango, I will." The phone clicked off and she stared at her phone for a moment before entering a new message.

'Will you please come with me to Sango and Miroku's house tomorrow? I need to talk to them.' She pressed send and watched the notification of 'Sent to Inu-Yasha' pop up on her screen before flipping her phone closed. She might just be able to do something about Sesshomaru indirectly even if she couldn't go after him through the police. The law was still on her side, after all.

Kagome had flopped back against her bed and felt sleep pulling at her with heavy hands. She brought a hand to her face to relieve the remaining tension when her finger tips found their way to her lips.

'That's right,' she thought. 'Inu-Yasha and I kissed tonight.' She smiled for the first time in what felt like days before rolling over and letting sleep take her away.


End file.
